


Finding Them

by HollowEssance



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Brothers, Family, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Half-Siblings, Happy Ending, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrids, Platonic Cuddling, Prophecy, Quests, Royalty, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Sleepy Cuddles, Wingfic, Wings, platonic, sleepy bois inc - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:34:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 39
Words: 36,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28266216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HollowEssance/pseuds/HollowEssance
Summary: Four brothers, scattered across the map. A kingdom, awaiting its rulers. A prophecy, bringing all the pieces together. This is the story of how he found them.Or: This is a sleepy bois inc fanfiction where Phil, Techno, Wilbur, and Tommy are brothers and the rightful rulers of a forgotten kingdom.--"C'mon child, just behave for me will you? I don't think you'd like us getting caught," Wilbur said dragging Tommy behind him."Please Wilbur, I am an utter delight to have around. I'm going to be on my best behavior!" Tommy practically shouted, earning an over-the-shoulder glare from the elder."Starting now," he whispered, letting Wilbur pull him along the empty corridors.
Comments: 79
Kudos: 582





	1. Prologue

Once there was a kingdom, its land covered in lush grasses. Trees grew taller than mountains, but the thing that made this kingdom so special was its inhabitants.

The king of this lands had passed away the year his youngest son was born. The king was ruthless and had murdered his three wives because of the weak offspring they bore him. Finally, someone hired an assassin to kill him.

His first son was sent to a nearby kingdom as a baby. The second son was left in the barn and when someone found the child, they took him to an orphanage in another kingdom. The king was satisfied with the third son and had extremely high hopes for him. But alas the child was stolen in the middle of the night.

With each unsatisfactory offspring the king would kill the mother as punishment. His fourth son, his last son, he never did get to meet. The mother, unlike the others, was not killed but died after giving birth. And so, the fourth son was sent to the kingdom’s orphanage. Now one thing was left to be wondered, what happened to the kingdom?

I'm glad you wondered. It's simple really with no one from the surrounding area running to state their claim to rule the kingdom, its people awaited their true ruler.


	2. Pages 1-3 Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! this story is currently being written in my oneshot book, and is several chapters ahead. This is the more polished version of that same story, so if you'd like to read more check out Sleepy Bois Inc go Brrrrrrrrrr Oneshots. :)  
> Hope you have a wonderful day!  
> ~Hollow

"Tubbo!" Tommy yelled. The small brunet boy turned to face his friend. 

"Hello Tommy!" he greeted.

"Do you think your brothers will let you go to town with me?” the blonde asked. Tubbo thought for a moment, his face grimacing.

"I don't know, not after what happened last time." 

"Just because we get into a fight one time means nothing! I was just trying to do business, but no one wanted to do business!" Tommy defended himself and Tubbo sighed defeated.

"I suppose so. Let's go!" 

-

Meanwhile a couple kingdoms over a boy with unnaturally pink hair stood facing the valley that stretched for miles. His eyes were glossed over in thought, a stoic expression molded his face. The boy had been trained since he was a child. Said trainer was evil, working the child past his limits. Malnutrition was a common thing for the boy, the cold even more so. Now, the boy was one of the strongest people in the world. With this power he intended to leave and start his own life; one where he wasn't a dog on a leash. 

"Techno! Get inside now!" Yeah, he was ready to leave. With that, the pink haired boy went back inside and prepared his freedom.

-

"I know it must sound insane, but that's part of the package. If you can't handle me at my worst, she doesn’t deserve my mental baggage." A man with brown floofy hair sang and strummed his guitar. The town square was bustling today, what a perfect day for a performance. People of all ages were in the marketplace today. The man had a passion for music, and was working towards molding it into more of a more solid profession.

Most people loved to hear and see his performances, but they didn’t always end up like that. His childhood was spent in and out of the orphanage, family was something he never experienced.

-

"And, that should do it." A man with blonde hair finished packing away his things and took a look around his house. It was a simple small house two rooms, but it was enough for him. Nothing was left on the shelves but a trail of dust. The man had three bags with him, one full of scrolls, one full of his belongings and the final filled with food. He hoisted the sacks onto his steed and off he went.

When it was finally nightfall he stopped and set up a camp. One thought crossed his mind before he fell into a dreamless sleep. _I have to find them._

Phil had been traveling for quite some time at this point. The quest to find his brothers was long and tiring, but he knew he needed to find them. That's what his scroll told him at least. 

It was about the second week into his journey when he came across a rather odd-looking man. He had long pink hair, his face was littered with scars and scrapes. After a long day’s travel, he had stopped at a local inn to rest for the night. It was small and cozy, yellow light illuminating the building. A bell jingled as he opened the door, the sound of his boots across the wooden floor creaked and clacked with each step. When Phil turned to see who had entered the shop, he was not expecting a man looking like this. The lady who had previously been helping Phil turned to greet the new customer. 

"One room please." The man's voice was deep, rough and monotone, contradicting but also matching his appearance perfectly. 

"Oh, I'm very sorry but our last room was just booked." The man's face dropped slightly in disappointment, but if Phil hadn't been staring at him for the entire time, he wouldn't have noticed the small change. The man had obviously been traveling for a while now, and looked quite tired so Phil did what he thought was right.

"If you don't mind sharing a room, I'd be more than happy to share, if you'd like." Welp, now he's done it; there's no taking that back. The man looked at him skeptically, contemplating and trying to figure out what Phil's motive was. In the end he nodded his head slightly, agreeing to his offer.

Soon the two got to the room. Once the door was shut behind them, the man went rummaging through his pocket, pulling out a pouch full of coins and tried to pay Phil for the room. 

"Hey mate, don't worry about it I have it covered. My names Phil by the way, what about you?" 

"Technoblade." 

Phil immediately stopped what he was doing. He finally found one of them. 

"Technoblade you say?" Phil asked quietly in disbelief. The man in question however looked even more confused and skeptical then he had even earlier that night. 

"Yes?" At the conformation Phil reached for his satchel full of ancient scrolls. The scrolls that had led him here in the first place. There were four scrolls in total, each being relatively the same length. To any literate person they would be relatively easy to read, finishing them in a matter of minutes; but that was only to a specific type of literate person. Philza was one of these people. A person who could read the ancient script sprawled across the parchment with prophecies to be upheld. 

The first one foretold the future of a nation. It foretold Phil's quest to find his brothers, the great suffering of the people with them gone, the four sons who had been scattered across the lands, and finally; it had foretold to Phil that they were not human. 

The first of the scrolls, however, was the only one Phil could read. He had attempted to read the others before but they made absolutely no sense. It was if every time he tried the markings would move, jitter, blur; never allowing him to understand what they had held. When Phil finally grabbed the third scroll from his sack and held it out to Techno. 

"Try reading this." Techno grabbed the scroll hesitantly, eyes narrowing at the man in distrust.

"What does it say?" Techno could only grow more wary as the man's actions continued. Why did the man want him to read the scroll, was he illiterate? 

"Why are you asking me to read about a group of people taking back a kingdom?" So that's what the third scroll contained. 

"You can read it?" Phil asked.

"Yes?"

"Techno, I think we are brothers."


	3. Pages 4-7 Chapter 1

Techno's face held its expressionless appearance at Phil's words. A breath, and then another. 

"Would you excuse me for just one moment." Techno walked out of the room down to the kitchens and grabbed a glass of water before making his way back up to the room he was sharing with this stranger. 

"I kno-" Phil started but shut his mouth when Techno held up a finger, downing the water in his glass. Once he put his finger down Phil continued, "Techno, I think we might be brothe-" 

"PFFSSST" Water now dripped down Phil's face and front, specifically the water that Techno had spit out at him. 

=====================================================================

(okay in all actuality now the chapter begins.)

"I don't have any brothers." Techno's voice was monotone and unnerving as ever, while Phil was sat to realize how absurd what he just said was. 

"Okay. just,” he cut off, “try reading this one." Phil handed him the first scroll, the only scroll that Phil could read. Techno squinted and stared at the parchment, trying to comprehend what was on the page. It was useless, he still couldn't figure out what was on the scroll. Holding both parchments side by side he examined the first, then the other. He could read the previous scroll just fine, but this one, no matter how hard he tried, it just didn't make sense. Almost like it was consciously making an effort for him to be unable to read what the scroll held. 

"You can't read it can you?" Phil asked as he watched the pink haired man. Techno shook his head slightly in confusion. 

"How does this have anything to do with us being brothers though?" 

"Well, you see, the parchment that you can read, I can't read. The parchment that you can't read, I can read. My parchment tells a tale of four brothers that were sent away by the king, their father, who would all meet again one day when the eldest set off on a quest to find them. I have reason to believe that we are two out of the four of these brothers,” Phil tried getting his point across, he knew he sounded insane, senile. Though he could only hope Techno would understand.

"This still doesn't make any sense; I've never met any of my family before and you're just some stranger I've just met. How could we be brothers?" Techno still wasn’t convinced. Phil sighed, was this hopeless? 

"It's in the prophecy Techno. Look, you don't have to believe me, but according to these scrolls there is a kingdom out there suffering and I'm going to do my darn best to help it. I can say with great confidence that you are one of the brothers I've been searching for, so I only have one question for you, will you join me?" Phil looked on with confidence, he was going to stand by his beliefs.

"Sure." 

"Wait really?" If Phil wasn't here right now, he wouldn't have believed this. It had been a ridiculous assumption in the first place, and if some random stranger he had just met was making these accusations why would he comply? 

"Yeah, I mean if I'm being honest, I don't have anything better to do." Phil stood there with a deadpan look across his face, this man really was something.

The next morning the two travelers set off once more on their quest to find the two missing brothers. Heavy footsteps crunched through the woods that day. It was around winter now. The air was crisp and cold, nipping at their faces. Phil’s cloak dragged along behind him, keeping him warm, but most of all concealed.

When he looked over at Techno again, he realized what he was wearing. Nothing but a white long-sleeved shirt, a pair of trousers and a pair of combat boots. The pink haired man was also shivering, though he made a point of hiding it. 

Phil stopped walking grabbing his sack and pulling out a spare cloak.

"Here Techno." Phil draped the long black fabric across his brother clasping it shut in the front, offering him a small smile. Techno nodded his head in thanks before the duo continued through the forest. 

-

Meanwhile back in the small town two children played together. Their names were Tommy and Tubbo. 

"Tubbo! come look at this!" Tommy called his friend over to the store that had toys displayed through the windows.

"Woah," Tubbo breathed. The toy they had been looking at was a bright red scooter, brand new and expensive. 

"That's so cool," Tubbo commented. Tommy nodded in response. _I wish I had enough to buy that, for Tubbo._ Tommy sighed at the thought, contrary to what he told Tubbo when he first met him Tommy didn't have a family. Tommy didn't have a home either, or most people would say he didn't have a home, but the small hole in the side of a hill that Tommy hand dug over the course of a week was enough of a home for Tommy to consider it one. 

"Tubbo! Tommy!" That was Tubbo's older sister, Niki. She was one of the nicest people Tommy knew, once in a while she would let Tommy spend the night if Tubbo asked nicely.

Tubbo had two other siblings, his eldest brother Eret, and his slightly older brother Ranboo. The four siblings were relatively known in this town, for their kindness in general. The two boys made their way back to Tubbo's sister at her call. 

"Tubbo it's time we start heading home, it's going to get dark soon. Tommy, it's nice to see you again. Would you like to stay for dinner?" Niki offered. This would be the fifth time this week Tommy would eat with them if he accepted and to put it simply, he was starting to feel bad for depending on them so much.

"That's alright, my parents wanted me home tonight, but maybe another time." 

"Okay then, we best be heading back." Niki smiled.

"Bye Tommy!" Tubbo waved.

"Bye Tubbo." Tommy smiled as his friend went in the opposite direction. Now he had some business to attend to.

"Please sir, I haven't eaten in two weeks." 

"Get out of here kid!" _Fine then, I guess I'll have to do this the hard way._ Tommy thought. He was small, fast, stealthy. Seven wallets are what remained when he was done. Unfortunately for Tommy, the people in this kingdom were just as poor as him. 

"Five, six, seven, eight." Only eight dollars out of the seven wallets. That was enough for three meals. But this also meant he couldn't waste any on the red scooter. Disappointed, Tommy shoved the money in his back pocket. He then scattered the wallets around the town square to be found. He would just have to do better next time.


	4. Pages 8-10 Chapter 1

A few towns over stood a man with a guitar and a bright yellow jumper. 

"My twitter feeds like my brain, ‘cause I have it on dark mode." The melody wafted through the air to bystanders.

"Hey there son, I'm sorry to say this but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. No offense but no-one's really liking the extra noise today." A local store owner. Wilbur's heart dropped. This guy had basically just told him how his passion was an inconvenience. 

"No, I'm sorry. I don't think I can do that; this is how I make a living." Wilbur tried explaining to the man. 

"Listen, I don't want to be mean about this, let alone use force but-"

"But what? I highly doubt you can forcefully remove me from here."

"Son, I'm getting really tired of your attitude-"

"What attitude?"

"Son-"

"Stop calling me son!" The man backed down; multiple heads turned toward the commotion. 

"Somebody call for the palace guard." Several people ran off to get help. "If I were you, I'd start running," the man suggested warningly.

Wilbur did just that, he grabbed his guitar and ran. Long legs gave him the advantage through the town, but once he reached the forest they were more of a curse. Branches whacked the top of his head, rips now littered his beanie. Leaves and twigs latched onto his clothing. He didn't stop running until his legs ached and his heart raced. Finally, deeming himself safe, he slowed to a walking pace.

If there was one thing Wilbur did not want it was being thrown in the dungeons. He had been held there once, one of the worst experiences in his life. Mainly because he was almost executed. If there was one thing Wilbur wanted to keep, he would ultimately end up choosing between his guitar and his life. 

The forest was quiet and serene, what had been a heart pounding chase was now a leisurely walk. The air was crisp, but he welcomed it into his lungs with large breathes, desperate for oxygen. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the peace, up until he stepped on a particularly loud twig.

"Found him! He's over here!" The clattering of metal found him. Blood rushed to his ears, adrenaline kicking in. _How did they find me!? I thought I was far enough away!_ Obviously, he was wrong. Legs and arms pumping, Wilbur started sprinting again. It was a life-or-death situation after all. Why did he have to be chased by palace guards again? It hasn't even been si-

"Oof!" Wilbur's body collided with something tall and sturdy, a tree. 

"Are you alright?" Trees couldn't talk.

"G-guards," Wilbur managed to get out. The man he ran into grabbed him off the ground, practically dragging him along behind him.

"Here, climb as high as you can, then be quiet." The man gave him a boost into a tree. Below him was a makeshift campsite. Wilbur climbed as high as he could, muscles aching. He brought his knees to his chest on a sturdy brand. His head rested against the trunk; guitar forgotten somewhere at the campsite. From the top of the tree, he could hear the faint sound of pieces of metal hitting one another. 

"Hello gentlemen." The guard greeted. _Gentlemen? There was only one man before..._

"Hello sir, what can we do for you?" A voice asked, it was someone other than the man he had run into. 

"Have you seen a tall lad with a yellow jumper come through these parts?" The guard asked. The two men staying at the campsite looked at each other questioningly.

"I didn't see anyone, did you Techno?" Techno shook his head, face expressionless.

"No, I'm sorry we haven't seen anyone out here, just set up camp a little over noon,” the man continued. The guard nodded understanding.

"Thank you for your cooperation. If you see or hear anything let us know." The guard then walked off.

Once they were sure it was safe, Techno climbed up the tree to retrieve Wilbur. As soon as his feet were on the ground Wilbur noticed the second man, and got a good look at the man he now knows as Techno. Opening his mouth to say something he was suddenly cut off, by a sword to his throat. One swing and he was dead. 

"Who are you?"


	5. Pages 11-14 Chapter 1

"Techno, knock that off. Give the boy a minute to gather himself," Phil reprimanded him. Wilbur decided he liked the other man, "here's your guitar by the way, you left it over there earlier while hiding." Yeah, Wilbur definitely liked this man. 

"Thank you." He grabbed his guitar with haste.

"So, why were the guards chasing you?" the nice man asked. 

"I was a bit snippy with a shop owner is all," he explained. 

"That's _it?"_ Techno scoffed, "the way they were looking for you, someone would think you killed their dog."

"Yeah well, I'm just annoying apparently," Wilbur sighed. "Sorry about running into you earlier, and thank you for the help -?" he stopped, awaiting their names.

"Technoblade." 

"Philza." 

"I'm Wilbur, it was nice meeting you, but I think I've overstayed my welcome." Wilbur went to leave when Phil stopped him.

"Nonsense! Stay the night at least, we have plenty of supplies. Besides, you look exhausted." Phil's hands rested on Wilbur’s shoulders. Normally, he would have slapped them away already, but something about Philza was oddly comforting. 

Sighing Wilbur gave in, "Yeah, thanks." Every fiber in his body told him to decline, to leave. So why did he stay? Well, he was exhausted, and would probably not make it far without the guards snatching him, but still.

When night fell, they started the fire. Wilbur sat close enjoying the warmth. He hadn't thought about how cold it had been until he was warm. 

"So, what are you planning on doing then Wilbur?" Philza asked him.

"What do you mean?" Phil chuckled a bit. "Well, you can't spend the rest of your life running from guards." Wilbur thought for a moment. What was he going to do?

"I don't really know, what about you two?" Phil looked at him fondly. "Well, if you'd believe me, I'd tell you." Now this piqued his interest.

"What do you mean?" Wilbur scooted closer, leaning in.

"Nothing much, just that our goal is a bit bizarre," Phil said with the wave of a hand. Wilbur laughed at this.

"Nothing can be _that_ bizarre, try me." Phil shrugged, a smirk playing at his lips.

"Alright then. Techno and I are brothers, just found him about a week ago. We're on a quest to find our two other brothers and save a kingdom from tyranny." Wilbur's head was spinning. A lot for the older man to tell him in one sitting. Phil’s gaze softened looking at the younger man.

"Sorry mate, didn't mean to overwhelm you. Disregard it if you want." Phil laughed patting the boy's shoulder. 

"Yeah, just a lot to take in I guess." Phil's laugh stopped, curiosity replacing it. He got up and pulled the second scroll out of his pouch, handing it to Wilbur. 

"By any chance, could you try reading this for me?" Confused, Wilbur accepted the scroll hesitantly. 

"Four brothers united but displaced. The seeker will find the three, willingly or not. Fate and coincidence go hand in hand. The first will be found monotonous but accepting. The second will be found in chaos but trouble less. The third will find you, so do not fret. Keep your eyes open for he will be hard to spot." Once Wilbur was finished, he looked back up at Phil, still confused. 

"Well Wilbur, you said you didn't know where you were going after this. Why don't you come with us?"

"You want me, to come on a trip to find _your_ brothers? Why?" Wilbur was skeptical. What was the scroll for?

"Well, you see Wilbur, only us four brothers can read the scrolls. So, I do think you might be related to us," Phil tried explaining. Wilbur looked at him like he had two heads.

"That-that is _the stupidest_ reason for claiming someone to be your brother _ever!"_ Wilbur practically spat, his tone wasn’t mean, more so disbelieving.Phil smiled sheepishly.

"Look I told you it was hard to believe, but even so you can come with us either way." Around them was a forest, somewhere in this forest were palace guards looking for him. He had two options, stay on the run, or he could go with the two lunatics. One option was sounding slightly better than the other. Phil saw the conflicted look on his face.

"You don't need to make a decision yet, but Techno and I are leaving early Tomorrow." Wilbur nodded, shivering slightly. Grabbing another cloak out of his sack, Phil clasped the fabric around his shoulders. It was warm. 

The three sat around the fire that night until they deemed it time for bed. In the morning Wilbur went with the two. 

"So, where exactly are we going?" Wilbur asked.

"Pretty much just until we hit the next town." Phil answered, "in fact I think it's our end destination as well. Seeing as I've already found you two, the hard part's over. Our youngest brother was said to be the only one to stay in the kingdom of our origin. So, he should be in the town somewhere." 

"Ah, ah, ah, that's _if_ I'm somehow related to you." Wilbur corrected, "for all you know you could be missing two brothers."

"Yeah, okay," Phil said sarcastically. Ultimately, it took them another day to get to their destination, but finding the last brother was turning out to be harder than they thought it would be.

"Tommy!" Tubbo yelled once his friend was in his line of sight.

"Hi Tubbo!" Tommy yelled back. 

"What are we going to do today?" The shorter questioned. 

"We can walk around town again." Tommy suggested. Tubbo agreed and soon the two were off, not before eating some of Niki's cookies of course.

"C'mon Tubbo, I'll race you to the toy store!" Tommy exclaimed. Taking what was most definitely a head start. 

"Wait! You cheater!" Tubbo called after him. The wo ran through the town square, weaving through the people. Tommy whipped his head over his shoulder.

"I didn't cheat! You bit-" Tommy was met with a face full of dirt. 

"Uh, Phil." A deep voice called.

"Yeah mate?" this 'Phil' responded. The man with the deep voice pointed at the twelve-year-old on the ground. 

"Techno, it looks like he fell for you," another voice snickered, how funny he was. Tommy finally looked up; a bit humiliated but otherwise fine. A black boot was in front of his face, barely touching his nose. The man the foot belonged to had bright pink hair and two unnatural tusks forming out of his mouth. He tilted his head slightly at the staring child.

"Hallo." 

"Tommy! Are you alright?!" A concerned Tubbo appeared out of thin air and out of breath. 

"I'm fine Tubbo, nothing I can't handle!" Tommy said confidently, standing up and brushing himself off. He turned to the men.

"Sorry about almost running into you, bye!" With that the two children were gone. 

"Alright then."


	6. Pages 15-17 Chapter 1

It had been three days now since the boys had met the travelers, to say they were easily forgotten was just a blatant lie. Tommy had seen them quite frequently actually. Once at the fruit stand. Another time he saw them going to a local pub. The last time he saw them leaving the little inn that was on the outskirts of town.

Today, however, Tommy was going to Tubbo's house. Last night he had scored with $5.00. A little less than two meals, but anything was better than nothing, and Tommy could stuff himself with as many of Niki's cookies as he could. 

"You know those people you ran into the other day?" Tubbo asked absentmindedly, Tommy nodded. 

"I hear they are looking for their brother. They said something about a reward for finding him too." This caught Tommy's attention. Money? Or better yet he could possibly just stay with them. If they were stupid enough, he could earn himself a home, and if not, he could still possibly earn himself a couple dollars. Either way the outcome seemed okay. All he had to do was seize his opportunity. The boys played for another couple of hours before the sun started to sink over the horizon.

"Alright, I have to go home now. My parents wanted me home early for something tonight," Tommy lied easily. Slipping away as fast as he could.

Tommy made his way back to his dirt home. It was cold, muddy, and cramped, but it was his. Tommy knew that they knew what he looked like. That's what led to the dirt, mud, and clay mixture caking his hair. It effectively turned his hair grey-ish brown. He also tried to cover up any identifying features of his clothing with the same mixture. 

Deeming his appearance complete, Tommy headed out for the town square. Ready to trick his way into some wealth. He remembered seeing them leave the inn, that was his next destination. 

"Excuse me miss," Tommy greeted the lady at the counter, "are three older boys staying here? One has pink hair, another wears a beanie, and the shortest has a green and white hat." He described them as best as he could. The lady thought for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, they are currently staying here."

"Do you think you could let me see them? I'm their little brother." The lady narrowed her eyes at him. He looked homeless and others had tried to trick her into a free stay before as well. 

"Very well, but if they kick you out you are no longer welcome at this establishment." She handed him a piece of paper with the door number on it. It took Tommy several minutes to find the matching door. Seeing as he was illiterate and innumerate.

He stood in front of the door, taking a deep breath. _Think of the money._ His hand hit the wooden door three times. It opened almost instantly. The same pink haired man was stood on the other side facing him. He looked Tommy up and down before calling over his shoulder. 

"Phil. There's a child at the door." The man with the white and green hat came over to greet him. 

"You look familiar." 

"No I don't," Tommy defended quickly, "sorry, it's just have you been looking for a brother of yours as of late?" Tommy's question piqued their interest.

"Why don't you come in," Phil motioned him towards the sofa, "Yes, we are looking for our brother. Do you have any information you can give us?" Now is when Tommy would find out just how smart they were. He could only hope they had rocks for brains. 

"Well, you see, I think I might be your brother," he said timidly, trying to play his part. Phil looked hopeful.

"Alright then, what's your name?" 

"Uh," Tommy had to think quick, "Bert, Bert Lagnouson." His voice wavered slightly. He could only hope that they hadn't noticed.

"Alright Bert. Would you mind reading this for me?" Phil handed him the fourth scroll. Tommy's heart sank. _He didn't know how to read._

"Yes, obviously." Tommy tried to cover his nerves with confidence, but even he could tell he was doing a poor job. The only thing Tommy could do now was recite the only story he knew. One he memorized when he still lived at the orphanage. 

Techno and Wilbur were both watching him now as well, curious. Once Phil gave him the scroll, he ultimately refused to even look at it, knowing wouldn't be able to understand a word written there. And so, he started reciting the story he knew as, "James and the Rabbit."

"One day, a young boy named James was tending to his mother's garden. In the garden grew carrots, lettuce, and beets. James was proud of his work and couldn't wait to share it with his family. The next day when James came out to tend to the garden, he noticed some of his produce missing. He tried to find the culprit but to no avail. James tried to disregard this missing produce as a miscount, but when more was missing the next day, he knew something was wrong. There were three options of thieves that could have taken the produce, so he'd set up multiple traps. 

The first trap was medium sized, specific for groundhogs. He had seen them around the garden before, but they had never messed with his things either. The next trap James set up was meant to stop a human. People could be stealing from him seeing as the town was very poor. The last trap James put up was that for a rabbit, the common thief of the town. Once the traps were set up, James hid in a nearby bush. He waited all day and into the night. He sat and watched for the culprit, but soon the weight of his eyelids was too much.

When he awoke the next morning, he checked his traps. His human deterrent was left untouched, as was the groundhog trap. When he went to check the rabbit trap however, low and behold, the thief was caught.

"So, you're the one that's been stealing from me." James was furious and ready to get his justice, "To atone for your crimes, you will be my dinner tonight," he declared. 

"No! Why would you make a magical rabbit into stew?" 

"A magic bunny? There's no such thing!" James exclaimed. Surely the rabbit was pulling his chain. 

"Oh, but I am," said the bunny, "don't cook me tonight, instead let me dine with you. Then you will see just how magical I am." In the end James agreed, if the rabbit was telling the truth it would bring him great fortune. After dinner that night James asked the rabbit to show him it's magic.

The rabbit replied, “Not yet, you must give me a warm bed to sleep in first. In the morning I will show you my magic." And so, James set a warm bed for the rabbit to sleep in. The next morning James asked the rabbit to show him it's magic once more.

"Not yet," It said again, "give me three days’ worth of hospitality and then I shall show you my magic." And so, James gave the rabbit what it requested. On the third day James came to the rabbit and asked it to show him it's magic.

"I must rest in my home before showing you. Let me go and when I return, I will show you my magic." And so, for the last time, James did as the rabbit asked, trusting it to come back. 

Weeks passed and the rabbit never returned. James was upset, he had done everything he was asked. And yet, in the end he was tricked. From that day on James questioned all requests made of him. Never forgetting getting tricked by the magical rabbit." 

Tommy finished reciting the story, hoping they wouldn't question him. But the men in front of him weren't the stupid ones. 

"Isn't that just the story of James and the Rabbit?"


	7. Pages 18-19 Chapter 1

"That does sound an awful lot like the children's story," Wilbur spoke up. Tommy knew he was done for, they weren't stupid. They weren't stupid at all. _That's what you get for messing with travelers._ He knew the people in the village were easy to trick, but these people were a wild card. _Welp, plan B. Honesty… to a point._

"Well," Tommy started timidly, his cheeks flushing, “I can't exactly read." Techno narrowed his eyes at the boy.

"Just in general, or this specific scroll?" Phil asked. _Honesty._

"Both," Tommy replied. Phil nodded understandingly.

"Well, you know your way around town, the people who live here, right?" Phil asked. Tommy nodded excessively; plan B could work.

“Maybe you could still help us find out brother. Would you mind?" Tommy tried to hide a grin. 

"Depends, what's in it for me?"

"How does teaching you to read sound?" Tommy grimaced a bit, "and twenty dollars after we find him." _That was enough to buy the red scooter for Tubbo._

"Deal."

And so, they worked out that Tommy would go with them through town, or just anywhere they were willing to look. When they weren't searching the three would take turns teaching him how to read and write.

The first day when they went out Tommy told them the names of half the people in town, or at least what he knew them by. After looking they decided Techno would be the first to teach Tommy.

"Alright there Bert, you get to go with Techno then. See you tomorrow mate." Phil and Wilbur waved to him as they walked away. Then, without warning, Techno set off in the opposite direction. His strides were brisk and long. Tommy had to jog to catch up. 

"Hey! What's the deal, walking off like that?!" Tommy yelled angrily. Techno didn't respond and just kept walking, so Tommy kept following. Finally, they reached a small sandy area next to a river. 

"I figured we could write in the sand here," Techno began, "but first I think we have some things to discuss."

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked.

"Well how about we start with the mud and dirt in your hair." 

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Techno got up from the rock he was sitting on, before taking a flask, filling it with river water and dumping it over Tommy's head.

"Why would you do that!? Now I'm all wet!" Tommy yelled angrily. Techno scrubbed the mixture out of Tommy's hair, letting a bit of the blond color shine through.

"You're the kid that ran into us the other day, aren't you?" Tommy's eyes were trained on the ground, a sheepish expression adorned his face.

"And your name isn't Bert either, is it Tommy?" He was in deep shit now.

"No, it isn't...." Tommy knew what was coming, He had tried to trick these men, they had caught him, and now he paid the price. Surely, he wouldn't be able to stay in the village after this. His entire reputation was ruined, not that he had one in the first place. 

"Well, I'll let Phil handle the rest later, we have a lesson to start." This took Tommy by surprise.

"What?" he asked dumbfoundedly.

"Kid, close your mouth you're going to catch flies,” Techno reprimanded, “I said, we have a lesson to start." Techno grabbed a stick and started writing in the sand.

"But Mr. Blade-" Tommy was cut off by a dry chuckle. 

"Mr. Blade?" Techno asked, "that's not even my last name." He only continued to laugh. Tommy blushed for what felt like the fiftieth time that week. 

"Sorry." 

"Don't apologize, just call me Techno, Technoblade, The Blade, The Blood God. I go by many aliases." Techno's hand rested on Tommy's shoulder, a more serious expression adorning his features, "don't apologize for your poor attempt to trick us either. Others have done far worse trying to survive in this world, trust me."

Then their lesson began. Twenty minutes later Tommy felt like bashing his head against a wall repeatedly. 

"Why does through, thought, and tough all have different sounds!? This makes no sense!" Techno furrowed his eyebrows at the frustrated boy, how was this kid ever going to read? (Techno came to the conclusion that he just wasn't.) 

"Alright kid, why don't we start heading back."

"Yeah, I should probably go home, worried parents and all that." Techno may have known part of his lie, but not all of it.

"Nope, you're coming with me to hash this out with Phil. Besides we both know that's bullshit; and quite frankly I'm scared to ask where you live." Techno grabbed Tommy by the collar, practically dragging him back to the inn. Tommy let him do so up until they reached the doorway. 

"Come on Tommy, if I need to use force I will not hesitate."

"If this isn't using force then what is?!"

"Tommy just-"

"Who's Tommy?"


	8. Pages 20-22 Chapter 1

"So, now that you two are settled. Who's Tommy?" Phil asked in a tone that suggested they tread carefully. 

"Well?" Techno asked after prolonged silence, looking at the boy. 

"My name's not Bert." Tommy said sheepishly.

"Damn right it's not." Phil was furious. The boy curled in on himself, why did he feel so bad about lying to them. It didn't matter what Phil thought of him. It didn't matter what anyone thought of him. So why did he feel so _guilty?_

"What else have you been lying to us about?" Wilbur asked just as angry.

"N-nothing, I just wanted to earn money, so I could buy Tubbo a scooter. It was stupid of me, I know. I thought I might have a chance at tricking you. I know it was wrong but I just didn't know what else to do!" By now tears were running down his cheeks. _Why did he feel so guilty? Why was he so weak? Why was he crying in front of strangers? What was he even doing here? Just, why?_

Tommy braced himself for a hit, beating, punishment of any kind really. Instead, he just felt _warm_. A cloak draped itself over his shoulders, a hand on his head. 

"What you did was wrong, yes; but that doesn't mean you can't learn from your mistakes. No harm no foul, right?" Phil smiled. Tommy's heart leapt. No one had ever shown him this kind of kindness before, aside from Tubbo's family that is. Tommy only cried harder, even though he was desperate for the tears to stop.

"Did I say something wrong?" Phil asked stepping away, taking his hand off of the child's head. Tommy missed the warmth from the hand on his head. His body acted on instinct, flinging himself into the older man and burying his head into his chest.

"Oh," Phil was surprised by the sudden affection, "your alright mate." He reciprocated the hug, tucking the boys head under his chin, holding him tightly. When Tommy finally pulled away his eyes were bloodshot, and his nose was filled with snot. Phil's thumbs brushed away excess tears before handing the boy a tissue. 

"Why don't you stay the night yeah?" Phil offered. Tommy shook his head; they had already been so nice to him.

"No that's alright, my parents wouldn't like it very much anyways." _Why did he keep lying?_ Techno rolled his eyes but stayed silent, waiting for Tommy to realize what he said.

"Wait- no I don't even have parents. Why do I keep lying?" Tommy's face was in his hands, desperately trying to keep oncoming tears at bay. From all the crying he just did you'd think he'd run out of them by now, much to Tommy's disappointment they didn't. Phil sighed slightly; Tommy had been doing this for so long that it just became a habit. 

"Then why don't you take us to where you've been staying, we can hash out if you'll stay with us, yeah?" Tommy nodded defeatedly. Knowing there was no getting around this. 

Feet trudged through snow on the forest floor. Phil should have guessed, where else would the boy stay? But when they suddenly stopped in the middle of the forest he was confused.

"What, are you trying to trick us with this too?" Wilbur was irritated, understandably so. It was cold, wet, dark and they were in the middle of the woods. It didn't look very good in Tommy's case. 

"No, this is my house." Tommy crawled through a hole in the side of a small dirt mound. If the boy hadn't pointed it out, they would have never found it. The other tree came over and tried peering through the small hole. The only things they could see other than Tommy was a ripped blanket and a chest that probably didn't have much in it. 

Tommy was sitting on dirt, and every time he moved clumps of it would fall from the ceiling. Lord only knows how many bugs Tommy was covered in right now.

"Isn't it great?! I hand built it myself you know, very sturdy." Tommy smiled proudly, patting the dirt structure. His company grimaced, how did he even fit in there?

"Yes, very nice craftsmanship- How long have you been living here mate?" Phil glossed over the first part of his sentence, slightly scared for the incoming response. Tommy furrowed his brow; he knew nothing about numbers.

"Um, well I've been living here since I left the orphanage and at the time, I was this tall." Tommy's hand went a little bit over his belly button, Tommy wasn't very tall right now, so how old was he when he was that tall? Phil determined he had to of been a four-year-old at least. How did he survive out here for so long? 

"Since you were four?" Wilbur asked. Tommy shrugged.

"I dunno, don't really understand numbers that well." Phil sighed.

"Alright Tommy grab what you need."

"Why?"

"You're staying with us." Tommy shook his head disagreeing.

"Tommy, you'll freeze to death if you stay out here!" Phil tried reasoning with the stubborn child. 

"No, I won't, I've been out here when it was far colder. I'm just a genius at building." Phil gave another exasperated sigh, why couldn't this child just listen to him? He was just trying to be nice.

"At least for the night then." Tommy mulled it over.

"Fine," he agreed. Tommy grabbed his prized possessions. That consisted of his extremely ripped baby blanket, a tattered bee plush from Tubbo and his money. Nothing was left in his little dirt shack. 

When they got back to the inn it was well past midnight. Tommy could probably fall asleep anywhere right then and there. The moment he stepped foot in the door he settled himself in an empty corner, draping the blanket across his frame, or what it would cover at least. Phil noticed this and went over to the boy.

"Toms, don't you wanna sleep in a bed?" If Phil hadn't of asked him a question, he would be dead asleep by now. Even though he was sleeping on the floor it was the most comfortable Tommy had been in a while.

"No, 'ts okay." his voice was soft, only half aware of what was going on.

"Well, you're obviously too tired to put up a fight right now, who do you wanna share with?" Tommy shrugged, still only halfway awake. 

“Alright, you'll share with Wilbur then." Wil's lips moved with no noise.

"Wha- buh- why me?" His voice whined.

"Because you didn't share a bed last night." Wilbur grumbled but complied. 

Getting into bed Wilbur tried barricading himself from the child with a small pillow wall. Despite what they wanted to believe Tommy was lanky and on the taller side for a child his age. So, when he's finally given the ability to sleep without being constricted to a certain position he tends to take up as much space as possible, or just move around a lot. Needless to say, the pillow wall didn't last very long. Wilbur was getting annoyed, as if he wasn't already. That is until the cute little fucker decided to curl up next to him. _What an asshole._

He would never admit it to anyone, but maybe the child wasn't that bad.


	9. Pages 23-26 Chapter 2

The next morning Tommy woke up in Wilbur's arms, it's nice. Something he's never felt before, something he had only seen be shared between Tubbo's family. Like when Niki would hold Tubbo while Eret read a story, taking turns with Ranboo. It made Tommy feel safe. 

His eyes barely opened, but they just felt so incredibly heavy; like two boulders had been placed on his eyelids. He closed them again, giving into the weight. It was nice, peaceful. Tommy would relish in this moment for as long as he could. 

"Time to get up boys!" It was gone, just like that. The warm blanket that had been draped over the two was pulled from their bodies. The cold air hitting his skin woke him up immediately. Tommy huddled closer to the body next to him for warmth, a disgruntled groan leaving his mouth. _Why did they have to wake him up like this?_

"C'mon Tommy, go wash up and then sit down for breakfast." A sleepy Tommy washed the dirt and grime off of himself. _When was the last time I had a bath?_ Not any time recently, that was for sure. By the time he was finished he looked like a completely new person. 

"Oh, here these used to be mine. They might be a bit big, but better than what you've got now." Phil handed him a pile of clothes to change into. _Just how nice was this man?_

"Thank you."

Phil smiled in return. "I was thinking Wilbur could be the one to teach you today while Techno and I go out searching, how does that sound?" Phil proposed. Wilbur rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Why do I keep getting stuck with the child?" Wilbur whined.

"Because Techno did it yesterday and if I let you two go out on your own, heaven knows what you would do." In all truthfulness Tommy agreed with Phil, but then again letting any of them alone just seemed like a stupid idea. 

"Fine, but you get to deal with him tomorrow then." Guilt pooled in Tommy's chest; they were already doing so much for him. They were so nice, but he was just an inconvenience to them. 

"It's alright, I haven't seen Tubbo in a while, maybe I should go see him today-" Tommy quickly tried giving excuses, to stop being such a burden to them. 

"Oh shush child, I was joking. You're coming with me today." Wilbur waved him off, not very convincingly. But it was enough for Tommy to comply. Getting up from the table Wilbur grabbed his coat and his guitar, the man never went anywhere without it. 

"Come on child." Tommy frantically scooped the rest of his porridge into his mouth before practically running out the door behind him. That said he did remember his manners and yell his goodbyes to the other two at the table. 

Tommy remembered a lot of what Techno had taught him the previous day. Tommy was retaining the information given to him. Eventually when Tommy's brain was full and fried Wilbur gave him a break. 

"You wanna hear a song?" Wilbur asked grabbing his guitar. Tommy nodded excitedly, he had never heard a performance before, let alone instruments. 

"Cause he's in your bed but I'm in your twitch chat! Just because he has social skills, doesn’t mean I can’t pay the bills. Your new boyfriend’s an asshole," Wilbur sung loud and full. His head bobbed up and down at the guitar breaks, and soon Tommy was following in suit. Tommy was loving every second of this.

"You wrote that?" Tommy asked once Wilbur stopped strumming. Wilbur nodded proudly.

"It's my newest one, but I think it's my favorite one that I've written." 

"So, you've written other songs?" Tommy asked curiously. Wilbur nodded.

"Will you sing more?" Wilbur’s eyes lit up, finally someone who enjoyed his passion. 

"Well, I would but I can't do all the singing here, why don't you sing me something you know." Wilbur suggested. Tommy frowned; he wasn't very good at singing. Besides he only knew one song.

"Fine but you can't make fun of me, okay?" Tommy glared. Wilbur nodded, holding back a laugh. Tommy was really like a little brother.

Tommy started a patting pattern. A pat on his leg for the first beat of the first measure, a tap of his foot for the first beat of the second measure and so on. The song was in 3/4 Wilbur noted, a waltz time signature. After two measures of patting and tapping Tommy started singing.

"Hung pictures of patron saints on my wall." The way he sang was so close to talking Wilbur might not have thought it was a song.

"To remind me that I am a fool, tell me where I came from, what I will always be, just a spoiled little kid who went to catholic school." Tommy had learned this song from other kids at the orphanage, it was the only one he ever heard them singing.

"When I am dead, I won't join their ranks. Because they are both holy and free, and I'm in Ohio, satanic and chained up. And until the end, that's how it'll be." Tommy's rhythm got more aggressive.

"I said make me love myself so that I might love you. Don't make me a liar, because I swear to god when I said it, I thought it was true." He went back to his previous volume. 

"Saint Calvin told me not to worry about you, but he's got his own things to deal with. There's really just one thing that we have in common. Neither of us will be missed." Tommy stopped the rhythm but continued to sing.

"A saint Bernard sits at the top of the driveway." he picks the patting back up, more aggressive than before.

"You always said how much you loved dogs. I don't know if I count, But I'm trying my best when I'm howling and barking these songs." And then it was over. 

Wilbur was a bit concerned if he was being honest. Sympathy filled him while looking at the younger boy. _Why did he know a song like that?_ Wilbur was halfway betting on the fact that Tommy would start singing something like Mary Had a Little Lamb. It wasn't even the song itself that threw Wilbur off, but the way Tommy sang it. His voice was rough, deep, his dynamics were dramatic and emphasized. A perfect way to sing it, but for a twelve-year-old child Wilbur couldn't help but be concerned. Tommy lifted his gaze to meet Wilbur’s, ready for him to make fun of him.

"I know it was bad, you don't gotta look at me like that," Tommy said defensively. He's never sung for anyone else before, he was already nervous as it was. 

"No, it's not that, I just-" Wilbur went silent, "never mind, we should be heading back now." The two packed up their things and went back to the inn. Techno and Phil still hadn't had any luck, but Tommy was learning, so they took it as a productive day. 

That night Wilbur practically stole the child, claiming that he didn't want Phil or Techno getting kicked or punched in their sleep. He was such a thoughtful brother.

In all honesty, especially after today, Wilbur felt the need to protect the younger boy. Almost like he could break if he was bent too far. He might also just like cuddling. Tommy didn't seem to mind though, being severely touch-starved and all. And so, it became routine that the two would share a bed while Techno and Phil would share the other.


	10. Pages 27-29 Chapter 2

Today was planned, Tommy knew he would be taught by Phil. Though he had a sneaky suspicion that it wouldn’t be just him and Phil. Not like the last two days with Techno and Wilbur. After all, leaving the other two to their own devices was an accident waiting to happen.

For the second day in a row Tommy changed into clean clothes, something he had never done before. He enjoyed being privileged, but reminded himself that this was only temporary. For the second day in a row Tommy went down for breakfast. He ate as much as he pleased. Phil’s cooking was his favorite, warm and loving, but Tommy reminded himself that it was only temporary. For the third day in a row Tommy would be taught how to read and write. The past two days had been fun to the boy. His brain finally had something to do, a challenge. He was finally learning, a step up from being a poor boy, but Tommy had to remind himself that this was only temporary.

“Alright, today we are all going out. Mainly because I don’t know what would happen if I let you two into town together, and I know if I leave you here, the inn will be on fire by the time we get back.” No one argued.

Soon the four were off, going to the same place Techno had taken him on the first day. Tommy had quickly learned that Phil was much better at teaching than the other two were. Once Techno and Wilbur had gotten bored of doing whatever they were doing they came over to help Phil. This was just a bad idea.

“No, it’s spelled like, t e c h n i c a l l y.” Wilbur spelt out.

“Tommy if you don’t get this next one right, you’re doing 37 pushups.”

“Take your time, you’ll get it eventually. Just retry this one.” The three were telling him multiple things, ways to do things. They contradicted each other, and it only made Tommy more confused.

“Stop! I’m just never going to learn how to read!” Tommy stormed off. He was frustrated, so frustrated. Why couldn’t he be better? Why couldn’t he understand this? When he was learning one on one, he was at least grasping _some_ of the information. Why was he having such a hard time now?

Tommy ran until his legs burned. How far had he run? He was still along the river side. So, either not that far, or the river was just very long. Tommy took a seat on a rock, curling his knees to his chest. He sat and he thought.

“Did we make him mad?” Wilbur asked. Phil sighed.

“I think we just overwhelmed him. Let’s go find him.”

“Tommy!”

“Toms!” The three split up as to cover more ground, where did the kid even go?

“Tommy, hallo?” Techno walked about aimlessly. Tommy couldn’t have gotten that far, could he? Step, step, step. Nothing. He tried in the other direction. Still nothing. Walking a couple of feet away he heard something. ‘chht, chht, chht, plunk.’ It repeated. It sounded like a stone being skipped across the water. Techno followed the sound, sure enough he finally found the boy, sat on a rock, skipping stones. He walked over to him, purposefully stepping on leaves to make himself known. Tommy didn’t even spare him a glance.

Techno took a seat next to the boy. He still made no signs of acknowledgement. _Why did I have to find him? What am I supposed to do?_ Techno wasn’t good at consoling people, or apologies. Why couldn’t Phil have found him? Techno wasn’t cut out for this. Though just because he wasn’t good at it didn’t mean he couldn’t try. For Tommy, he would try.

Techno wordlessly and carefully placed a hand on Tommy’s shoulder trying to gage how the boy would react. The child subconsciously leaned into the touch a little bit. Taking this as a go ahead, Techno wrapped the child in a hug. Finally, Tommy gave him acknowledgement, burrowing into the man's side.

The two sat on the rock, looking out over the lake, Techno liked this. It reminded him of when he would go outside to look over the valley of hills when he was a child. But this was so much better. It wasn’t as big, intimidating. It was just nice and peaceful.

“I’m sorry for overwhelming you Tommy, we all are. I’m sorry for being harsh on you, I guess I just didn’t know how to teach someone so I used the only example I had,” Techno tried explaining, he hoped this would be a good apology. Tommy hummed in response, shuffling his head a bit closer to the older man.

“It’s okay, I just wish I could be better.” Techno was taken aback by this. Tommy was doing so well already. He hadn’t even had lessons for three full days, yet he was doing so well.

“What are you talking about? Tommy you’re already done with the basics of letter sounds, that’s pretty good for three days’ worth of lessons,” Techno tried explaining to him. Tommy shook his head in disagreement.

“Well, you don’t have to believe me, but have some faith in yourself. Don’t give up either, because as Socrates said, ‘The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing.’ You’re aware of what level you’re on, and you can really only go one way from here Tommy; that way is up.” Techno really hoped It would get through to the younger boy, to help him in some sort of way. He would never know it, but it did.

Tommy was wrong. Surprisingly, this routine he fell into was not temporary, and he was happy about that. It had been a month now since Tommy slept in his dirt house, a month since he had gone days without food. Tommy couldn’t have been more thankful.

He still went out to play with Tubbo, but with him helping the others, his time wasn’t as much as it was prior to their arrival. Unfortunately, they still had no luck in finding the fourth brother, but they were also in a way, okay with it. The more time they spent looking, the more time they had with Tommy and vice versa. They also knew that they shouldn’t purposefully waste any time; they did have a prophecy to fulfill after all.

Tommy had also continued his lessons, by now he could practically read and write as good as the other three, minus a few words that is. Either way Tommy was glad he didn’t give up. He didn’t give up on himself, and he didn’t give up on them. Just as they, didn’t give up on him.


	11. Pages 30-32 Chapter 2

Today the four were going to the market for groceries. Techno wanted to try out a new potato stew recipe and Wilbur needed new guitar strings. Tommy followed closely behind the three who were figuring out what they needed. The market was bustling. All of the stands had products, and there was a surplus of people who wanted them.

Tommy didn’t like it when the market was busy. There were too many people, perfect for pick pocketing, but Tommy didn’t need to rely on that anymore. He still kept his guard up, who knew what could happen with this many people in one place. He knew there were people scheming, he had been one of those people a month ago. He also knew that someone carrying a large piece of metal that had gotten caught on Phil’s satchel was also a possibility.

Said man just continued walking after pulling on the metal a bit to get it unhooked, but it ripped a hole in Phil’s bag. Scrolls, papers, money all of Phil’s belongings were scattered behind him. Tommy snapped out of his head rushing to grab what he could.

“Phil!” The blonde man whipped around concerned. Soon all four were running about trying to retrieve the dropped items. Tommy had grabbed multiple things, but what caught his eye was the scroll Phil had originally asked him to read when they met for the second time. He had enough knowledge of how to read now, didn’t he? He could, Tommy decided. He was curious, why had Phil asked him to read it in the first place? They never really had explained anything to him, other than they were looking for their brother. But he could read this now. He could read it and prove to the three just how far he had come. Tommy had some planning to do that night.

When night fell Tommy headed to bed just like he always did, cuddled up next to Wilbur. He waited and listened for Wilbur’s breathing to even out before, as naturally as he could, flipped over. He laid in the bed waiting for hours until he knew everyone was asleep. Tommy didn’t have to worry about Phil or Wilbur, but Techno was another case. The man looked like he slept like a rock, but woke up to almost every out of place noise.

Tommy carefully pulled back the blankets, slowly getting out of the bed. If he remembered correctly, Phil’s satchel should be somewhere by the table. The only problem was he couldn’t see anything. If anyone could see him, they’d think he was a zombie with the way he was walking. Eventually, with a lot of care, Tommy found the bag. He quickly grabbed his coat and shoes, taking the satchel with him outside.

Under the light of the moon Tommy found the scroll that Phil had asked him to read a month ago. It was kept nice and neat, but he knew it was old. Should he really be doing this? Was there a reason why Phil hadn’t shown him the scroll since? No, if Phil hadn’t wanted him to see it, he wouldn’t have shown it to him in the first place.

His hands held the scroll tenderly, there’s no going back now. He opened the scroll carefully; it wasn’t that long but still decent sized. Unlike the first time Tommy was in possession of this scroll, he actually looked at it. The words and markings actually made sense to him.

_Years before the king was assassinated, he took the very thing this kingdom was known for, he took the memories with him as well. Restore the balance, starting with yourself._

_**“ipsum revelare”**_

Tommy whispered the last line, the moment the words left his mouth a searing pain spread through his shoulder blades. His hands flew to his back, desperately trying to sooth himself. His eyes watered while he frantically tried to pry his coat and shirt off. The top half of his clothing was suffocating, trapping him. Then as quickly as the pain came, it stopped the moment his shirt was thrown off. Tommy sighed, finally, it stopped. When he reached behind him to feel where the pain just was, he was very, very confused, and scared.

_What is on my back._

"What the fuck? What the fuck!?" Tommy's hands grasped the soft feathers upon his back. He felt warm despite the snow falling from the sky. When the flakes landed on his skin they melted, instantly evaporating into the air.

Craning his neck, Tommy tried to get a better view of the wings that had sprouted out of his shoulder blades. From what he could see they were a gradient of red to yellow, it almost gave them a glowing effect in the dark night. How did this happen? Two minutes ago he was sat reading a scroll and now he had _wings._ Tommy was in hysterics, trying to understand what had happened, how it happened. A puddle of water gathered at his feet from his radiating heat. _How is this happening?_

What was he supposed to do now? He definitely couldn't fit his shirt back on but he could put the cloak over his wings. Maybe that would be enough to conceal them, he hoped so at least. Step one; get his wings to fold down. After five minutes of wrestling with them he finally got them into a somewhat decent position. Once he could keep his wings in place he put on his cloak. The black fabric draped over him, thankfully it hid his wings quite nicely.

What was he going to do now? He couldn't go back to bed; they would find out almost instantly about his two new appendages. He could only imagine what they would do to him if they found out. Tommy decided the only thing he could really do was wait for morning and try to come up with a believable excuse.

He gathered up his shirt and haphazardly threw the scroll back into Phil's satchel before heading back inside. Tommy shut the door behind him as quietly as possible, this consisted of him watching the door continuously until it was shut.

The moment Tommy turned around he was caught like a deer in headlights. He froze, the bag dropping out of his hands. The three he thought were sleeping were sat at the table with a candle lit. Scowls painted Phil's and Wilbur's faces, and if you looked close enough you would see one on Techno's as well.

"What the fuck Tommy?!" Wilbur was the first to say anything, and it just so happened to be yelling. "You're up in the middle of the night, steal Phil's satchel, go outside in the freezing snow and come back shirtless!" Wilbur was _seething._

_Run._

The room was so hot, the heat was encapsulating his lungs. He tried to breathe, tried to comprehend what they were saying but everything was a blur. He couldn't hear, he couldn't see, he just felt. He felt so hot. It was like someone took his body and threw it in an oven, he felt like he was on fire. Was he on fire? If so, he couldn't remember anymore. Every moment he spent awake, breathing just became more difficult. Like he was trying to inhale underwater, the liquid filling up his lungs and drowning him in the process. 

_What?_

_Why are there black dots now?_

_Why is everything so da-_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyooo! So I'm thinking this story will be updated every 4-5 days. Basically each chapter is 8 pages long so I've gotta accumulate words before posting. But yeah, I hope you all are enjoying the story! Feel free to leave comments or not I just like hearing what you guys have to say :)  
> Have an awesome day!


	12. Pages 33-34 Chapter 2

“Tommy?”

“Tommy, can you hear us?” The boy hadn’t been responding, they could hear his heaving, sweat dripping off of his forehead landing on his cloak.

“Oh, my gods! Tommy!” The boy fell over. Phil, Techno and Wilbur rushed forward fussing over the child.

“Ah! Don’t touch him!” Phil cradled his burnt hand to his chest. How was Tommy not dead? No one should be able to have their body temperature that high and still be living, or at the very least human.

Human. What a funny term, what really made someone human? Phil knew, and he also knew Tommy was technically no longer classified as one; by scientific means at least. Pulling back the cloak Tommy wore he only confirmed this. Instinctively the boy wrapped his wings around himself.

Tommy’s wings were perfectly proportioned to his body. At least Phil wouldn’t have to deal with overgrown wings with this child. However, that was a concern for another time. Right now, they needed to focus on cooling him down to a normal body temperature before Tommy, quite literally, burst into flames. The other two stood in shock, looking at the extra appendages that the boy now had.

“Go get as much snow as you can, hurry.” As Techno and Wilbur set off to gather snow, Phil took off his own cloak, spreading his wings to their full length.

‘Sus soletia’ Phil’s temporarily navy blue and gold wings faded into a light grey with white diamond like patterns at the bottom. Phil grabbed the boy, cradling him close. There wasn’t much Phil could do until Tommy was cooled off. Tommy was experiencing what Phil referred to as a ‘magic overload.’ Between just getting his wings and the overwhelming emotions, Phil was surprised he hadn’t passed out sooner. The only thing he could do right now was comfort the child in his arms. Soon the other two came back with buckets full of snow, not sparing a second glance at Phil. 

“Okay, I need you two to gently put chunks of snow on his wings, but be gentle they’re sensitive; and if one of you could hand me a rag and a handful of snow, I can make an ice pack for his head,” Phil instructed. They did as he said. When the first bit of snow touched Tommy’s wing the boy shivered, cuddling further into Phil.

“I know bud,” Phil smoothed Tommy’s hair back. When about half of the buckets were gone, Phil finally deemed Tommy’s body heat to be regular. The boy’s wings slowly faded from their bright glowing colors into a navy blue with gold edges.

“What do we do now?” Wilbur asked. Phil knew he felt bad for yelling at Tommy. Out of all of them Wilbur was the most protective of the child, and was most likely blaming himself for Tommy fainting. Which in a way, it was, but all of them had stressed the boy out. Not just Wilbur.

“All we can do is let him sleep for now, when he wakes up I’ll explain more but we have to be calm; we don’t need him bursting into flames or passing out again.”

That night was the first night Tommy didn’t share a bed with Wilbur. Instead, no one slept except for the blonde-haired boy. Techno and Wilbur were confused and had been frantic, but they were all grateful for the chaos to subside. They were grateful for their little brother to be okay.


	13. Pages 35-38 Chapter 2

The first thing Tommy felt when he woke up was warmth. Between the thick blanket over top of him and the person behind him, Tommy was practically sweating. He enjoyed the warmth, that said, the moment he remembered what had happened he shot up looking around frantically. His body was in fight or flight mode, panicking.

“Woah! Tommy. Toms calm down,” Phil shot up with him, a hand outstretched towards the boy.

“Tommy, I need you to calm down.” He couldn’t have Tommy passing out on them again. If he did it would just be a continuous cycle. Phil approached Tommy carefully, trying to show him he wasn’t a threat.

“Toms, we’re not gonna hurt you. Just breathe for me, can you do that?” Phil asked. Tommy nodded, letting the Phil pull him into a seat. Tommy inhaled once, gathering his bearings.

“Sorry, it’s just- well, you know.” Tommy gestured to the extra appendages. It was going to take some time for him to process them, and learn how to use them. Phil laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder, while the latter rubbed his face.

“I know bud, but it’s gonna be okay. Don’t know if you’ve noticed yet or not, but you’re not alone,” Phil gestured behind him. Tommy looked over Phil’s shoulder at the matching appendages, his eyes wide.

“What the fuck!? Since when do you have those?” Tommy sputtered. Phil laughed.

“Since I was about seven, I’d say. They were pretty small at that point. Bit awkward at first, but you’ll get used to it. I’ll show you all the hidden secrets they hold as well.” Phil had a gleam in his eye, not mischievous but Tommy felt a little unsettled by it nonetheless.

“Wait, you’ve had those since you met us?” Wilbur asked pointing to himself and then to Techno. Phil nodded slightly.

“So, you’ve been hiding them from us for this entire time?”

“I guess you could say that, I was going to show you eventually. Now’s a good time as any really, but I just didn’t want to spring too much on you guys. After all I am claiming that we’re all long lost brothers. Thought the wings might be just a _bit_ much,” Phil explained, “But I still have a question for you Tommy. Could you tell us what you were doing outside in the middle of the night with my satchel?” Phil asked gently, he didn’t want to sound accusing. Tommy nodded hesitantly before speaking.

“Well, I just wanted to read the scroll you asked me to read when we first met. I wanted to show you that I can read now, that I’m capable and not just holding you back. When I did it was really short and weird, and I said the last line out loud but then my back started hurting, and next thing I know I’ve got _wings!”_ Tommy retold the events to them. He tried to gloss over the first part but he knew they would be focused on the entirety of what he was telling them.

“As lovely as that story is Tommy, if you could the read the scroll tonight, you should’ve been able to read the scroll the first time we met,” Phil told him.

“But I couldn’t read back then, at all! I’m sorry I couldn’t but I can now, does that count for anything?” Tommy sounded like he was pleading, not quite picking up what Phil was putting down. Phil chuckled a bit.

“No, Toms that’s not what I meant; you didn’t do anything wrong. When we first met what exactly did you do when I handed you the scroll?” Phil asked, maybe this would explain what had happened.

“Well, I couldn’t read. So, I didn’t look at the scroll at all and just told you the story of ‘James and the Rabbit,’ because that was the only story I knew,” Tommy told them. The other three in the room burst out laughing at this causing Tommy to turn beet red.

“Tommy, you are something else,” Phil face-palmed, “you didn’t need to be literate to read the scroll, it’s a magic scroll Tommy. One of the four prophecy scrolls, that just happened to be yours,” he pointed at Tommy.

“And that means?” Tommy asked, still confused.

“Tommy, you’re our little brother.”

"Are you serious?" Tommy laughed. How long had they been looking for their long-lost brother? How long had he _helped_ them look for their brother, look for himself? He felt stupid. Don't get him wrong; he wasn't upset, not in the least. He was happy, he wouldn't be replaced the moment they found their brother. He was happy because this meant he got to stay with them. 

"Tommy, trust me. After everything that just happened, I would not lie to you about this," Phil chuckled. Everyone was emotionally drained and laughter was the product of the reactants. 

"Yeah, that makes sense, just confused is all. So much has happened in the past couple days." Tommy ran a hand through his hair, his hair line being pulled back. 

"It's all good mate," Phil smiled. Tommy glanced over his shoulder at his other brothers. _That was going to take some getting used to._ Techno was smirking, which was already a drastic change from his normal demeanor. Wilbur only half way tried to contain his smile as he walked over to the winged boy. 

"So, the gremlin child is related to me? How wonderful," he said with a sarcastic tone, but the smile on his face contradicted his teasing. Wilbur walked over ruffling the boy’s hair. "What are we going to do about these though?" Wilbur directed his question at Phil while gently lifting one of Tommy's wings. 

"Oi! Don't touch that shithead!" Wilbur backed off as Tommy swatted his hand away. 

"Sorry, did I hurt you?" Wilbur was genuinely concerned; he didn't know how wings worked. Tommy shook his head pulling his wings closer to his back. 

"No, sorry. Just scared me a bit. It felt like, when someone pokes the back of your neck, and your head kinda squished into your shoulders. It felt like that, just jump scared me is all." Tommy tried to think of the right way to explain it, seeing as Wilbur didn't have his own wings to compare the feeling to.

"Well, you did just get your wings yesterday, I'd say they'll be sensitive for the next couple of days yet. Nothing too bad, just sort of like your teeth when you eat something too hot or cold," Phil explained, talking with his hands. Tommy was going to dread this, but he wasn't a baby. Yeah, his wings were practically newborns but that didn’t mean he had to act like they were. He couldn't wait until his wings wouldn't be weird and shit. Maybe he could fly, he sure hoped so or else they were just useless. Kind of like those birds that had wings but couldn't fly, Tommy thought they were stupid. By the looks of it though they would most likely be able to hold his body weight, but there was only one way to find out. 

"How about we start with some wing lessons, yeah?" Phil asked, snapping Tommy out of his train of thought. 

"Okay," Tommy agreed heading for the door, only to be pulled back by Phil. 

"Okay lesson number one. No one but the people in this room can know about your wings," Phil sat Tommy down at the table, "second of all, you aren't even wearing a top. Were you just going to go out in the cold like that?" Phil gestured to the pants and socks he was wearing. Tommy smiled sheepishly. He was just excited, thinking lesson number one would be how to fly. 

"Yeah," he drug out. Phil rolled his eyes while Wilbur laughed at him, Techno face palmed. 

"Okay, this leads us to your second lesson, retracting your wings." Phil stood up, demonstrating. This was the first time Tommy got a good look at Phil's wings. One minute they were outstretched, almost knocking the unlit candle from the table, before they were gone. Phil turned around to show him his back, it looked like normal skin. Tommy stared confusedly.

"How'd you do that?" Tommy was searching for something, anything that would indicate that he had wings before, like a child playing peek-a-boo. Phil chuckled.

"Well let me show you."


	14. Pages 39-41 Chapter 2

Phil took his wings back out, his back facing Tommy. He folded his wings in slowly, when they were folded all the way against his back Tommy watched as the skin distorted and enclosed the appendages. It was similar to slime almost, maybe plasma. Tommy wasn’t quite sure how to describe it, but it was definitely unnatural.

“All you gotta do really is keep even pressure through pulling your wings in, then they take it over. Only keep your wings in for a small amount of time, you can do some pretty permanent damage to them if you don’t let them breath,” Phil spent more time going over how to keep his wings hidden before Tommy got the hang of it.

“Alright, now that I don’t have to worry about you getting caught let’s get you a shirt.” Phil chucked a tunic at him. It looked normal all except for the two holes in the back.

“A bit counterproductive, isn’t it?” Tommy smirked.

“Yeah well, you’re gonna have to deal with it,” Phil laughed. Tommy put on the shirt, it warmed him up a little. In the excitement of everything Tommy hadn’t been concerned with his body warmth, but he was thankful for the cloth now. He was excited, he was staying with his brothers, his _family._ He never had one of those before. The entire concept was something incredibly foreign to him. Nonetheless, it was going to be great.

All four brothers had been found, they knew what the scrolls contained, so what was next? Tommy thinks that can wait. He doesn’t want to worry about what’s to come, he just wants to bask in the peace. Later that day the four went back to the market place to get groceries for the next two days. 

“Tommy!!!” an excited voice yelled through a crowd of people. Said boy whipped around before getting tackled by his best friend. Tommy winced as his wings were pinned between the ground and the weight of two bodies on top of them.

“Hello Tubbo,” Tommy tried to mask the pain with a winded tone. He gently pushed the older up off of him, in turn the other held out a hand, pulling the younger off of the ground.

“I swear the way you two play you must’ve broken all of your bones by now,” Phil sighed.

“Oh please, they’re having fun,” Wilbur defended.

“Yeah, at least they're having fun breaking their bones,” Techno added. Phil only sighed again, rubbing his temples.

“Phil, can Tubbo and I go look around and hang out?” Normally Tommy wouldn’t ask, but he still didn’t know how careful he needed to be with his new assets.

“Yeah mate, just come home before the sun sets. Be safe you two!” Phil waved as the children ran off, hand in hand. Tommy was practically dragging Tubbo along behind him until they got the clearing that Tommy had been taught at.

“It’s been a while big T.”

“I know big T, things have been weird lately,” Tommy sighed.

“You wanna talk about it?” Tubbo asked. Tommy shrugged.

“I don’t really know if I should. Don’t get me wrong I want to tell you, but it might just cause more problems.” Tommy thought aloud, trying to find the best course of action. Tubbo nodded understandingly, he was curious yes, but he would respect his friends wishes.

“It’s up to you big T, as long as we still get to be friends, I’ll be content, just don’t lie to me kay?” Tommy nodded in response. He was so glad he had a friend like Tubbo, they had been through thick and thin together the past seven years. Tommy knew he could trust Tubbo no matter what.

“Then, maybe not yet. One day though, one day I’ll tell you,” Tommy said lost in thought.

“Alright, enough with this sad stuff. Tell me what you’ve been doing with the other three lately,” Tubbo said changing the subject. Tommy brightened up.

“Well, we’ve been looking for their brother for a while now.”

“Did you find him yet?” Tubbo interrupted. Tommy smiled.

“Well, that’s the thing Tubbo, _I’m_ their brother!” Tommy told him excitedly.

“Wait, really?” Tubbo asked.

“Yeah! It’s so awesome! They’re all so nice, annoying, but nice. Tubbo I’ve never had this before, I’m scared I’m going to screw this up, but I love it.” This caught Tubbo’s attention. Never had a family before? What was Tommy talking about? He decided to test his theory.

“And how did your parents feel about this?” Tubbo asked sneakily.

“Well, they- “Tommy stopped. He looked over to Tubbo, he saw the expression on his face. He was hurt, sad, and something Tommy couldn’t quite place.

“Tubbo I- “Tommy started. Tubbo shook his head, standing up.

“No, Tommy.”

“Tubbo, just let me explain- “ Tommy rushed his words, desperately grabbing onto the rope that tied itself around his friend, keeping him from falling into the deep abyss. Before the rope was sturdy, now Tommy struggled to hand on, feeling as if someone coated it in oil. He ran over only to be pushed away.

“Tommy, you lied to me. You’ve _been_ lying to me for our entire friendship! How can you expect me to believe anything you say?” _No, no he- this couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t lose Tubbo, he couldn’t-_

“Tubbo I- “ Tommy was at a loss for words, what was he supposed to say?

“I’ll see you later Tommy, goodbye.” He supposes there’s only one thing he really could say.

“Bye.”


	15. Pages 42-43 Chapter 3

Tubbo walked home from his meet up with Tommy all on his own. No sibling to come get him, no reminder to leave. He left on his own accord, his own terms. If Tommy lied to him about something like this, for so long, what else did he lie to him about? He walked on through the woods, stepping on the occasional twig. Leaves brushed pass his sides as he walked. This was something Tubbo needed, time to think. Time to think _alone_. For the past seven years Tommy and him had been best friends, quite literally inseparable. Now he wasn’t sure of anything.

He could hear the rustling of leaves and branches, animals. Another rustle, this time louder. Tubbo whipped around looking for the source of the sound. Nothing… Shaking it off Tubbo continued walking. Then he heard it again. He knew it wasn’t an animal, the sounds were too deliberate, like it knew it was getting his attention.

“Tommy, I told you I didn’t want to talk. Why are you following me?” Tubbo spoke, seemingly to nothing. He glared at the foliage around him, looking for his friend. When he received no response, he scoffed and turned on his heal.

“Your ‘friend’ isn’t here.” Stood in front of Tubbo was a man, brown hair on his head and face. The man’s voice was deep, unnerving to the boy. The smirk he wore only made Tubbo more uneasy. He stepped back from the man, not trusting him.

“Who are you?” Tubbo asked keeping his guard up. The man laughed.

“You see a strange man in the forest and the first thing you want is pleasantries? I should’ve seen that one coming.” The man was quick with his words and conclusions, like he was playing a game of chess. Tubbo could feel heat rising to his cheeks, why had the man’s words gotten under his skin?

“Well, what do you want me to say?” Tubbo glared.

“How about we start with, “Strange man in the woods, what brings you here?” the man said in a mocking tone.

“Fine,” Tubbo paused, “oh strange man in the forest, what is your purpose in life?” Tubbo played along, dramatically holding out his words putting fake emotion into every syllable. He wanted to get under the man’s skin, just as he did to Tubbo.

“I’m glad you asked, I have a proposition for you is all.” The man smiled, ultimately ignoring the end of what Tubbo had said. Tubbo raised a brow, slightly upset he didn’t annoy the man; but what could this man want? They just met.

“And, that is?” Tubbo asked curious.

“You see I knew I liked you kid, straight to the point, you know what you want,” The man rambled.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Tubbo interrupted. The man stopped, looking over towards the boy with another smirk. Tubbo didn’t trust him one bit.

“The thing is, a little birdy overheard your argument with your ‘friend.” Fingers forming air quotes, the man caught Tubbo’s attention.

“You don’t know anything about that, I suggest you mind your own business,” Tubbo spat warningly.

“But that’s just the thing Tubbo, your friend and I have some business to take care of. He lied to you, didn’t he?” The man was sly and cunning, planning his words carefully. Striking the keys that hit the right strings, the piano that was Tubbo.

“Well yes but- “

“There’s no ‘buts,’ how long has he lied to you for? Seven years was it?” The man filled Tubbo’s head with thoughts, truths. Tubbo had been hanging onto hope, that maybe Tommy had a good reason, but if what the man said was true, he could stomp out the flame immediately.

“Don’t you see it Tubbo? He’s been using you. Remember when he wanted to do ‘business’? Who got in trouble for that?” he paused, “You did. What about the time he broke Niki’s favorite flower vase? Who got blamed?” The more the man spoke, the more Tubbo believed him. “You did. Don’t you want to repay him Tubbo? Repay him for all that he’s done? The man continued plaguing the boys mind with evidence. He wasn’t wrong, Tommy had gotten Tubbo in trouble plenty of times. He made a valid point, Tubbo couldn’t deny it at all.

“Fine, what did you have in mind?” The man smiled; the child fell right into his trap. A singular pawn in his large game of chess.


	16. Pages 44-45 Chapter 3

“Come on George. You don’t want to sleep through the territory treaty meeting, not again at least,” Sapnap drug the covers off of George causing him to groan not wanting to get out of bed. Another man walked into the room.

“Is he up yet?” Dream asked Sapnap. He sighed.

“Sort of, you’d think he’d be more responsible seeing as he rules an entire kingdom,” Sapnap said sarcastically, directed at George. Dream hummed in agreement before cannonballing onto the bed.

“Come on Georgy-poo! You need to wake up so you can tend to all your big boy duties,” Dream cooed. If George was going to act like a child, Dream was going to treat him like one.

“Oh, fuck off,” George rolled over attempting to push Dream off the other side of the bed.

“Please your highness, have mercy on me! You wouldn’t have your most skilled knight chop off my head, would you?” Dream asked being a dramatic little shit.

“Oh, shut it you. All this talk about skilled knights, it’s going to make your head so big that one day it will just explode,” George said, finally climbing out of bed.

“Will you two stop flirting so we can leave?” Sapnap said irritated. George blushed turning away, Dream only smirked.

“Alright, alright, be ready in five,” With that Dream stepped out of the room. Today they would be discussing territory treaties with surrounding kingdoms. The ultimate goal was just to maintain their current land, but if they had the opportunity for more, they would take it. When George finally emerged from his room, he was practically tripping over his own two feet, rushing to the carriage.

“You’re just in time! Next time don’t sleep in so late and we won’t have to rush out the door,” Dream reprimanded. George scoffed.

“Yeah, well next time don’t be up until ungodly hours at night stabbing the life out of an inanimate object,” George retorted.

“Well do you want to be killed or not? It’s not like your royal subjects appreciate you all that much, seeing as there’s already a rebellion group within four years of your reign. You have to keep an eye on them, can’t have them getting out of hand.”

“Trust me I know; you don’t have to remind me.” George spoke the truth. He knew about the rebellion groups; he has for months now. It was a topic that never truly left his mind, always there in the back of his head, nagging at him.

‘There are people out there who want you _dead.’_ They whispered. ‘You took everything from them, and for what?’ They sneered. George knew alright, he didn’t need to be reminded. Yet, he held his tongue, Dream didn’t need his worries on top of what he was already concerned about.

He couldn’t think of anyone he would trust more than the two with him now, whether it be his deepest secrets or running a kingdom, he knew they were by his side no matter what. That’s why they were his two head advisors, with those two by his side they were practically invincible.

He was pulled from his train of thought when the carriage door flew open suddenly. Two men clambered in, they were quick and strong, grabbing for George. Dream and Sapnap shot up, weapons drawn. George reached for his own weapon, an axe, while desperately trying to get away from the attackers. Dream charged the men first, effectively pushing them both right out the door, they fell on their backs with a _thump._ Sapnap was hot on his tail, they addressed the situation.

Six men were attacking them, their goal? George. A man on his right swung at him with an iron sword. _Stupid._ Dream thought, the man’s form was sloppy and weapon was pathetic. He quickly cut him down while two others tried rushing him. These two weren’t much better, but at least they had diamond swords. Dream and Sapnap were occupied; two vs. one on each side. Dream was almost finished with the two when he took a head count, Sapnap was taking care of the two he had fought, tying them up along with the one Dream had previously battled. Three. Then there were the two he was fighting almost finished. He knew they wouldn’t win, they were tired, heaving from exhaustion. Their stances were even sloppier now, legs wobbling, hands shaking. They didn’t stand a chance.

Five. Where was the sixth? Did he miscount? No, he never makes a mistake, not in this sort of situation. Not here, not like this. Dream scoured the area for the last attacker. George. His head whipped around eyes wide as he saw the straggler creep up behind him. He had to do something, get to him. Everyone was occupied. If Dream turned his back on these two there would be a sword in his back faster than he could move. One of them was going to die.

“George!” Dream tried to yell, but it choked, stuck in his throat.


	17. Pages 46-48 Chapter 3

“Phil, can we please get more potatoes? I need them for stew.” Techno practically drug the older towards the potato stand.

“Phil, can you please tell Techno no. I cannot eat that stew for an eighth night in a row,” Wilbur begged, grabbing Phil’s other arm trying to drag him away from the potato stand. Techno was strong but if Phil cared enough, he could stop the dragging; but he was too tired to care and let himself be strung along.

Soon they could hear the sound of horses approaching. The sound of wooden wheels running over rocks and dirt. For the time that they’ve been here no carriages have passed through the marketplace, had they just not seen them before? Curious, the looked around trying to spot where the noise was coming from when a group of men took off running from the crowds of people.

_How stupid are these guys?_ Techno thinks to himself. If this is an assassination attempt, why would they be attacking in the middle of so many people? They were quite literally imbeciles. The men they had ambushed weren’t that terrible, though they had some work to do. Two of the three took on two at a time, the third standing idly to the side, he didn’t look like a fighter. From his attire Techno could assume he was either wealthy or a political figure. The other two must be his bodyguards. Six against three, more like two. He watched the battle progress. Hits were passed to one another, the clanking of metal against metal ringing through the area. Then he felt a shift in the air, dread. Techno saw one of the men come up behind the wealthy man, ready to decapitate him.

Techno’s feet moved without thinking, responding to the situation he’s been in a hundred times before. He contained the attacker from behind, and without a second thought his left hand was around the man’s jaw, his right gripping his shoulder. With one fluid motion the man was dead, his head lolling to the side unnaturally. Techno stared at the limp body, this wasn’t a new sight for him, this wasn’t troubling to him as it was to the others watching the scene unfold. He could look down at the body with an unwavering gaze, right into the lifeless eyes of the man he killed. He could do this without feeling a single thing. This happens when you’ve been doing this since the young age of six. His first stolen life had been that of a hated king, despised by his subjects, and so he paid with his life. Techno would never forget that day. Ever since then he’s felt nothing when taking a life, it wasn’t his fault though, no it wasn’t. Where Techno grew up this was a common occurrence, really the only thing that ever happened.

To the person he lived with he was nothing but a weapon. A pawn in their plans. He didn’t like that, the walls keeping him contained like a bird in a cage. His freedom was something he longed for, and once he had it, he relished in every second of it. This place, the _home_ he now had with Wilbur, Tommy, and Phil. This was where he belonged, this was where he wanted to stay.

When Phil found him a little over a month ago, he was skeptical but having nothing minus the clothes on his back and no agenda to attend to, maybe trusting the stranger wasn’t a bad idea. Besides, if need be, he could kill the man quite easily. And yet, after finally finding his little corner of peace in the world. He still felt nothing when it came to taking another man’s life. Techno knew it was wrong, he knew he should feel something, be crying, weeping for the man. He should feel _guilty._ But he doesn’t.

“George!” A scream snaps him out of though, the man in a mask quickly ran over the third man. He tackled him to the ground both landing at his feet.

“George, you’re okay, you’re okay,” The man repeated the two words over and over again, presumably trying to console the man who almost died, and yet it sounded more like he was trying to reassure himself that he was still alive, here in his arms.

“Hallo,” Techno greeted, scratching his nose, to be met with the smell of iron. He was going to need a bath later. The two on the ground looked up at him while the third walked over to them.

“You’re the one that saved George,” the man with the mask exclaimed. Techno tilted his head, were they not going to talk about the dead man laying inches away from them?

“Uh, yes.”

“Ha! You might be getting replaced Dream,” the third teased.

“Oh, shove it Sapnap. I am not, but that was some pretty fine skill you got there. For anyone else it would’ve taken five minutes to snap his neck. We could use someone like you on our side.” The Dream man got off the ground, dusting himself off before standing to his full height.

“What do you say?”

Techno looked at Dreams hand, an offer. He wasn't going to take it, not when he just got something so good. Besides, if he agreed to this he would just be a tool, the exact thing he wanted to escape in the first place. 'We could use someone like you on our side.' The words rubbed him the wrong way, they weren't pleasant, a sentence trying to flatter him for his skills, no. Dream was saying, 'You're strong, we are going to get that strength, one way or another.' Techno wasn't stupid, he knew what they were doing, and that's why he had an answer. 

"No thanks, I've got other priorities to attend to," Techno got straight to the point, not wanting to give the other the wrong idea. He left Dreams hand lay lonely in the air, refusing to take it. 

"Oh, what kind of priorities?" _Ugh,why is this guy so nosey?_ Techno could tell him the truth, tell him how he was most likely going to steal the kingdom right out from under his fingertips, they wouldn't hold onto it for long. Or, he could lie. Lying seemed to be the better option in this situation. He just had to come up with something, tedious, time consuming, prioritizing worthy. 

"I'm a potato farmer." _Not that, stupid._ Techno thought to himself. Out of all the things he could've said, how was he even going to prove this one? Other than prove it how was he going to explain how he snapped the other man's neck so easily. Potato farmer? He mentally face palmed. Dream, George, and Sapnap looked at him skeptically. 

"Okay, the kingdom does need more food sources. Keep up the work then," Dream paused, "But the offer still stands, you ever decide to join us just come to the castle, tell the guards Dream sent you, the staff will help you find us," Dream explained shortly. 

"We should really be going now, were already late for the meeting," Sapnap chimed in. Dream nodded, pushing the other two back into the carriage. 

"Bye! It was nice meeting you!" He yelled waving out the window as they were towed away. Techno blinked turning away from the receding carriage to face his brothers. 

"So, anything you wanna tell us?" Phil started. 

"Uh, well I'd rather not but I guess I'll have to," Techno sighed, "not here," Techno gestured to the onlooking faces of strangers. _why did they have to stare like that?_ Techno wanted to melt into the ground at their eyes on him. The three walked away briskly wanting the attention off of them. Hopefully Tommy would be back soon, they could have a family meeting of sorts, let Techno explain everything to them. What they didn't expect to walk in on, however, was said child curled up under the blanket, knees to his chest. The only thing they could see without the outline of a blanket was the Tufts of his hair poking out the top of the blanket.


	18. Pages 49-50 Chapter 3

“Tubbo, you see the thing is Tommy is after something of mine. Something _very_ important of mine, I need your help to stop him. Do you think you can handle that?” The man’s eyes gleamed yellow in the light of the moon. They stared almost directly into Tubbo’s soul. It made him feel violated, like they had searched every nook and cranny of his head. In a way, they did. It felt like someone else was in his body with him, like there were two people fighting for the reigns. Their arms wrapped around his brain holding it tight, pressing into it methodically, controlling him. Tubbo didn’t understand what it was doing, but he couldn’t exactly think anymore either.

He nodded almost absentmindedly trying to comprehend what was going on, but the pressure in his head was something he couldn’t ignore. The man smiled, he had his vessel now, and soon he would have it all. But people who pursue the entirety of the world often end up failing. Good thing he wasn’t a person.

-

“Tommy?” Wilbur started, walking over to the bedside, pulling the covers from the boy’s head. Tear stains ran down the boy’s cheeks, but his eyes were dry, dull. They trailed over his brothers, and landed on Techno. He stopped for a minute, processing. Red. Dark red. Metallic? Iron. _Blood._ Tommy snapped out of whatever funk he was in, rushing over to the seventeen-year-old.

“You’re covered in fucking blood!” Tommy yelled, frantically checking him over for injuries, “Are you okay? What happened?!” Tommy only stopped when he was lifted by the back of his collar. Seeing that Techno was holding him a good foot off the ground with one hand, he assumed Techno was okay.

“I’m fine child, it’s not my blood,” Techno explained.

“Well then why the fuck are you covered in blood?” Tommy was confused, if Techno wasn’t hurt, who was?

“We’ll explain later, I think we should focus on your situation first right now,” Phil quickly tried to fill the silence, he knew Techno would want to put off telling them. Besides, they’ve never seen Tommy like this before, so _sad._ Tommy looked away. He hadn’t planned on telling them what happened. He thought they would be out for a while still, and he would be asleep by the time they got back. At the very least he could pretend like nothing happened, but the world didn’t seem to be on his side at the moment.

“It’s nothing, I’m just over reacting,” he tried to shut it down quickly. The more he thought the more he really did believe he was simply just overreacting.

“Well, if it’s got you this upset, I don’t think it’s nothing,” Wilbur pressed on. Tommy didn’t want to meet their gazes; he could feel his eyes grow watery as the scene replayed in his mind.

“It’s Tubbo.” He was bawling now, his hands wiped at his eyes desperately, “I made him mad. I- I lied to him, just like I did with all of you. I’ve ruined our friendship. It was only a matter of time; everyone leaves eventually and one day you guys will too. I know I’m annoying, I know you’ll want me to leave, so can you just do me a favor and kick me out before I get even more attached?” The other three shared a look.

Did Tommy really think they would kick him out? The crying child In Front of them certainly made them think so. A hand wrapped its way around the boy, pulling him into their chest. Tommy didn’t want to appreciate it, was this their cruel joke of leading him on?

“Tommy, we’re not going to kick you out,” A deep voice spoke, not what he was expecting. Not what any of them were expecting. Techno only pulled the boy closer. The other two sat down around them.

“How could you ever think that Tommy? You’re our little brother,” Wilbur chimed in.

“It’s not like we spent months trying to find you or anything, do you really think we’d let you go that easily?” Phil laughed slightly trying to bring up the mood.

“I know, it’s just I- I don’t know, it just made sense,” Tommy tried to explain, but it was hard to get his point across. Phil sighed, and changed the subject. He understood what Tommy was trying to say, sometimes your brain just likes to pile things on top of the issues at stake.

“Tommy, I’m sure Tubbo can’t be mad at you forever. Tomorrow we’ll all go over together and you two can talk things out, he just might need some space right now,” Phil put a comforting hand on his back. Tommy nodded into Techno, he was calmer now, he knew that they weren’t going to leave him, and with them by his side, maybe, just maybe, he could salvage whatever was left of his friendship.


	19. Pages 51-53 Chapter 3

“King George, it’s about time you got here. Everyone’s inside waiting,” Eret, son of Eret, king of Freshire; greeted them outside and leaded them to the main hall where five others sat. The king of Prentep, Consprit, and Whomington. The queens of Selfare and Mashfin. They looked bored, irritated. George pretended to be mildly interested in the grandfather clock, half past six. He knew they were late, but he didn’t expect them to be _that_ late. Quickly, he took a seat, not wanting to prolong the meeting anymore. He could feel the glares, but looked away not wanting to meet their gazes.

To each ruler they had two assistants. George’s were obviously Dream and Sapnap but next to Eret were a blonde man and a slightly taller male who’s face, all but his eyes, was covered in a mask and a red hood. He seemed slightly suspicious but had posed no threat so far.

“Alright, since everyone’s here now. We can start the meeting,” Eret’s voice was deep but loud, grabbing the attention of all the attendees. The meeting went on for a couple hours, if you could even call it a meeting. It was more of just a complete disaster, disagreement and quarrels seemed to be the only things discussed. Most of the arguing was done between the king of Consprit and the queen of Selflare. The two had just ended an eight-year war, they still weren’t on the best of terms as to where their boundaries began or ended. George was starting to have enough; a headache crept its way to his temples.

“That’s it! If you two can’t agree on something, then I’ll take the land for myself!” his fist slammed on the table, his chair scraping against the floor. His uproar only made matters worse.

“You can’t do that! This isn’t a proposition open to you. Watch your mouth, war is far easier waged than you might think!” the king of Consprit spat. George inhaled a moment, adjusting his glasses.

“You don’t think I know that? Or why don’t I remind you how I became the ruler of this kingdom?” Wisps of shining white tendrils danced through the air, they were partially blinding to the naked eye but everyone in the room could feel the power radiating off of the man. The opposing king sat back down, looks were deceiving.

“I think the rest of you can handle your own affairs on your own just fine. We’ll be leaving now,” George removed them from the situation entirely, briskly walking away. He sighed, thankful for his glasses. No one had to see the yellow glow they produced when borrowing _his_ power. He turned a corner, Dream and Sapnap towing behind. They all knew who would be showing up soon. George knew he was here when the familiar boney hand rested on his shoulder.

“Looks like someone used my magic without thinking~,” the voice said, a teasing tone lacing through his words. George jerked the hand off of his shoulder, cape flowing at the movement.

“What are you doing here!?” George yelled, his voice echoed in the empty hallway, bouncing off the walls and back to their ears. The voice laughed.

“You know exactly what I’m here for,” it sneered.

“When? When will this be done?” It’s true, George did know why the man was here, they all did.

“Idiot, didn’t you read the contract? Of course, you didn’t. Too busy caught up in, chasing power was it?” The man pretended to think, tapping his chin, “Don’t you remember, Gogy? You signed your soul away to _me._ That’s something you’re not getting back.”

“But we made a deal!”

“That we did, you just forgot to read the fine print.” George shut down, he knew he couldn’t win this one, he never could. He knew what he did was stupid, but he just wanted to protect his friends. He was willing to do anything for them, including signing away his soul.

“What do you want this time?” Magic always came with a cost, borrowed magic, even more so. This was the second time George had used it, the first time the price was colors, he awaited the request for the second time now. The man smirked at his words.

“Someone finally knows their place,” his voice was smooth, running like a snake down his back, “you barely used any this time so the fee will be less. All I ask is that you give me access to the dungeons. Total access and no interference,” this surprised George, what could he possibly want the dungeons for? Though he didn’t have a problem with it, they barely used the dungeons in the first place.

“What’s the catch?” This was, after all, too good to be true.

“No catch, just hand me the key.” George did as he was told, it was no use either way. The man smiled, “Until next time,” and he was gone.

-

Tommy stood in front of Tubbo’s house. His brothers stood behind him, but that still didn’t help his nerves.

“Go on,” Wilbur placed a hand on his shoulder, pushing him towards the door. Tommy nodded, taking a breath, and the. He knocked. A few seconds later the door opened.

“Oh, hello Tommy!” Niki greeted before noticing the others behind him, “and hello to you all too, would you like to come in?” The four filed inside.

“Sorry, we’ve never met before. We’re Tommy’s brothers. I’m Phil,” he offered his name, being polite.

“Oh, I wasn’t aware he had brothers, but it’s nice to meet you. I’m Niki,” she smiled.

“This is Wilbur and Techno; I hope you don’t mind us dropping by.” Niki shook her head.

“No, it’s no problem at all, though what can I help you with?” Phil pushed Tommy forward slightly. He hesitated before speaking.

“Is Tubbo home?” Niki nodded.

“Yes, he’s up in his room. I’m assuming you’d like to go up alone?” Niki was right, he hadn’t brought three people for moral support if something wasn’t wrong. Tommy nodded in thanks, leaving his brothers to talk with her. He would be lying if he said he thought this would go well. In fact, he thought the exact opposite. His footsteps creaked on the wooden stairs. Tubbo’s room was the second door on the right. He needed to do this; he couldn’t let this friendship die. It was Tubbo, _his_ Tubbo.

Tommy knocked, silence.

“Tubbo?” he asked pushing the door open slightly. The brown-haired boy was sat on his bed, a bee plush to his chest.

“Hello Tommy,” he greeted boringly. Though the greeting he still didn’t acknowledge him.

“Hi Tubbo.” The air was thick, tension high. When Tubbo finally did look at him, Tommy could’ve sworn he saw his eyes turn yellow, but chalked it up to the lighting in the room.

“Tubbo, I want to apologize, I want to explain. Will you let me?” Tommy approached him slowly, the chance of being turned away.

“I know why you’re here, Tommy,” Tubbo paused, “but I’m not ready to talk yet, meet me the same place we were last night. Tomorrow, alone. We’ll talk then.” With that Tubbo practically pushed Tommy out of his room, a door slamming in his face.

To say he felt hurt was an understatement. How could he have fucked this up so badly? Gathering his bearings Tommy made his way downstairs, he would just have to try again tomorrow. He wouldn’t give up on Tubbo that easily.

“Tommy?” Phil questioned, “that was quick.” Tommy shook his head.

“It didn’t go all that well,” he wrung his hands. Niki sighed.

“I’m sorry Tommy, I’ll talk to him, see what I can do,” she walked over, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. Tommy nodded.

“It was nice meeting you Niki, but I think we should get going now then,” Wilbur excused them, she understood Tommy needed time.

The walk ack was quiet with the exception of their footsteps, they knew Tommy wouldn’t want to discuss what happened in public. They could all tell they were going to have a long discussion when they got back. Between what happened just now with Tubbo, and Techno explaining yesterday’s events.

-

“Why did you do that?!” Tubbo yelled at the man standing in his room, “I was mad, I know that! But we can fix this, he wanted to fix this! I don’t want to help you! All you’re doing is manipulating and controlling me!” Tubbo was furious. In the moments he had spent with Tommy just then, he had wanted nothing more than to run over and engulf him in a hug. He didn’t need an explanation; he just wanted his friend back. Why did the man want to meet with him tomorrow? Why couldn’t he just fix things now?

“Watch it dickhead,” the man growled, eyes narrowing, “you agreed to this, we made a deal,” he sneered. Tubbo glared, fire in his eyes.

“No, we didn’t make a deal. We made an agreement. There’s a difference.” The man glared at Tubbo, but nodded.

“That we did, but you still have to uphold your side of our ‘agreement’ as you put it,” he said with air quotes. The word was bitter on his tongue, he didn’t like not having full control over this outcome. He still had the agreement at least, _something_ to have over the boy.

“Now then Tubbo, we have some preparations to attend to.”


	20. Pages 54-57 Chapter 3

The sun rested over the mountain peak when the four siblings had made it back to the inn. Snow fell gently from the sky once again, it wasn’t enough to stick to the browned grass, but it was nice nonetheless.

“I’m going to go make some tea, anyone want any?” Phil asked the other three. Techno and Wilbur nodded.

“Can I have hot chocolate?” Tommy asked meekly. Phil nodded, walking off to get the ingredients. The other three took a seat on the small couch, watching as Phil worked. He took the bucket of water, hooking it over the fire before sitting down with his brothers.

“So,” Phil started, “who wants to start?” Silence. Phil waited a moment before clasping his hands together.

“Alright, Tommy, why don’t you tell us what happened with Tubbo.” He thought it would be better to start with this seeing as it would most likely be shorter, and Techno’s story could be a bit of a distraction for the child. Tommy sighed but nodded, he was at a crossroad between being sad and determined.

“He basically said he didn’t want to talk yet, but he would meet with me tomorrow to talk things out,” Tommy paused, “It was weird, it felt like it wasn’t even him. I just wish things would go back to normal,” he sighed. Wilbur draped an arm over him, pulling him into a side hug.

“Are you going to go?” Phil asked. Tommy nodded vigorously without a second thought.

“I’m not going to give up on Tubbo, he’s Tubbo. I can’t do that,” he said stubbornly. Phil smiled.

“Good, from what I’ve seen you two were almost inseparable it’s a bit astounding to me that you two would have such a falling out in the first place.” Phil smiled before continuing. “Alright then, the moment we’ve all been waiting for.”

“Finally, I get to know why you were covered in blood yesterday,” Tommy added. Techno groaned under the gazes of his brothers.

“Well, I guess it all started the day I was born, both of my parents failed to show up,” he began.

“Techno,” Phil said, warning in his voice.

“What?” Phil glared, “Fine,” Techno restarted. “I don’t remember much from before I was five, but I grew up with one person; my overseer. Ever since I was able to walk, I was being trained to kill.”

_The sun shined brightly over the mountain side; the blinding snow covered every inch of the land. A decent sized building sat a few yards away from the cliffside. A winding dirt path was the only safe way up or down. Chunks of snow would fall from the roof of the building every so often. A child is panting picking himself up off of the ground once again. He prepares his stance, and charges. The man he is fighting with is quick to react. Attacks and dodges were swapped, quick and clean. The boy didn’t see it coming and lost his balance, falling into the snow below him._

_“Again.” The voice was deep, commanding. The boy did as he was told, getting off the ground once more. They repeated. Days, weeks, months passed. The boy was older now, around the age of five. The two stood outside again, stances ready, waiting for the first move. The child ran at the man quickly but controlled, a hit to the side. A block to his right. The dance was executed perfectly, and when it was finished the child had a knife to the man’s throat. Victory._

_“Do it again, the first time is always luck.”_

_They did. Again, and again until the boy could no longer walk, and no longer lost. A week later he was assigned his first mission. The man sat the boy down at a table, both sitting rigid, tall, intimidating._

_“You’re being commissioned to kill the king. You will do so willingly, and you will not fail. Do you understand?” The man was short and to the point, giving the task to the child in front of him._

_“Yes sir.”_

_The boy was quick on his feet, racing up against the castle, he moved from spot to spot stealthily. The palace guards had yet to notice his presence. Quickly and carefully, he climbed up the back side of the castle, where no one could see him. It was dark, hard to see anything but he made due with the light of the moon to his back, he grabbed onto whatever piece of wall he could. The boy climbed through the window, he was in a large room, white sheets covered large objects; furniture most likely. He quickly navigated his way to the door before making it to the hallway. The corridor was long, decorated with gold and marble flooring. The walls were made of quartz, tapestries hung every few feet. Footsteps._

_“He’s such an asshole.” A woman’s voice._

_“I know, but there isn’t much we can do about it. He is the king after all.” A reply._

_“I just hope one day someone makes him pay for what he’s done,” the first woman sighed. The boy hid watching as two maids walked down the hallway, coming out of the biggest door at the very end. They were carrying a bag of wash and dirty dishes. The door they just came from was the most likely to be the king’s bedroom, he made his way there quietly. The bed was the first thing he spotted, in it was the king himself; rolled over on his side, ready to sleep. A single candle rested on his nightstand giving off the only light in the room. The boy had to be quick, knowing there were guards not too far from here. In an instant he was a foot away, his sword would reach. With one swift swing, the kings head was being held by its hair, blood dripping onto the floor._

_The boy quickly stuffed it in his bag before leaving the castle and going back to his overseer. He handed the head to him silently. The man inspected it thoroughly._

_“You could have done better, had the cuts cleaner. Though, you have completed your mission.” The boy nodded, accepting the criticism. From then on, he was asked to kill many others. Blood soaked his hands; he hated the feeling. It was disgusting, suffocating and that’s when he realized what he was, what he needed to do._

“I don’t want to kill anyone anymore; I know it’s wrong but nothing inside of me tells me that it is. I think during that time, my overseer screwed something up in my morals. That’s why I decided to come with you, I needed to experience what it was like outside of that place. To be human,” Techno finished solemnly.

“Techno, you killed our fucking dad,” Phil laughed.


	21. Pages 58-60 Chapter 3

“Oh,” Techno paused, “was I not supposed to do that?” he asked. Phil only laughed harder.

“No, you’re good. He was an asshat, the reason we were given away in the first place, the cause of our mother’s deaths, and why the kingdom’s magic was stripped away. No one liked him and he did some pretty terrible things in his time,” Phil paused, “just feel bad you had to do that at such a young age,” Phil’s gaze softened. Techno shrugged.

“It’s fine, nothing we can do about it now, I suppose,” he sighed. Phil nodded before lifting himself out of his seat, making his way over to take the boiling water off of the fire.

“So why were you covered in blood yesterday?” Tommy broke the silence.

“Oh yeah, he fucking killed a man. Twisted his head off and shit,” Wilbur demonstrated, making a rough twisting motion with his hands. Tommy was in disbelief.

“No fucking way. He did not!” he argued. Phil and Wilbur chuckled slightly.

“Yes, he fucking did! It was gruesome, but kind of cool at the same time. No, you can’t watch it happen, you’re still a child,” Wilbur added as Tommy’s mouth opened to interject.

“I’m not a child, dickhead,” Tommy spat, “I’m a big man,” he declared.

“Okay, you two, knock it off,” Phil reprimanded passing around the hot beverages. “Now that these stories are settled, I want to try something,” he grabbed his satchel, placing it on the small table. Phil laid the four scrolls out side by side, in numerical order. “I haven’t tried this yet, but I want to see if this will work.” Phil placed. A hand on his scroll, watching as letters painted themselves across the bottom, running off the page. Phil motioned Wilbur over, guiding his hand to his own parchment. The letters continued. Techno and Tommy got the idea, following the actions of the other two. The words stopped halfway through the bottom of Tommy’s scroll.

“A step closer,” Phil started, “your quest will finish where the sun is aligned,” he finished.

“Okay that’s nice, I’m tired. Can we handle this tomorrow?” Wilbur asked, he wouldn’t admit it; but all of this magic stuff was starting to make his head spin. What was that even supposed to mean? How did it even happen in the first place?

“You’re no fun, you know that?” Tommy glared.

“Well at least I’m not a child,” Wilbur shot back. Phil stood up silencing the two’s bickering.

“Yeah, let’s call it a night.” He turned towards Tommy. “When you’re back from the meet up with Tubbo I’m going to teach you how to preen your wings. It’s been about a week since you’ve got them, and your feathers are most likely out of place by now,” Phil informed him. Tommy nodded in agreement.

“Okay, I don’t know what that is, but can we figure out more of the prophecy stuff tomorrow too?” he asked eagerly.

“Sure, but it’s bedtime for now,” Phil gave in, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to unlock the secrets of the scrolls.

“You two are nerds,” Techno chimed in, watching the excitement light up their faces.

“No we’re not!” a collective shout made its way from their mouths.

“Okay _sure_ ,” he agreed. Wilbur scoffed getting their attention.

“I’m tired, can we please go to bed?” he whined.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on boys,” Phil shooed them over, grabbing the empty cups. Wilbur and Techno made their way over slowly, Tommy on the other hand, decided to sprint and belly flop onto the bed.

“Tommy you little gremlin!” he shouted, “You messed up the covers!” The once very nicely made bed was now a pile of pillows and blankets, a child sat in the middle, snickering.

“Too bad I’m a minor, you can’t kill me!” he said proudly, like he was invincible. Wilbur glared.

“No, I can’t kill you; but I can make you sleep on the floor.” He took heaps of blankets and just threw them off the other side of the bed.

“Wilbur, be nice,” Phil said warningly. Wilbur turned around, his mouth moving like a fish out of water. He pointed to the bed and then to Tommy.  
“Wha-? How is this my fault?” he sputtered.

“Wilbur,” he repeated, holding out the word. The brunet threw his hands up, angrily ripping the bed pieces off of the floor before flopping onto the bed turned away from his brother; a scowl on his face. Tommy felt a tinge of guilt waft through his chest. If he was anyone else, he would go to bed sleep it off and everything would be fine the next day. But that wasn’t the case. Instead, he curled up against the elder’s back.

“Wilbur,” he whispered once. No reply.

“Wilbur,” he tried again. He knew Wilbur was ignoring him.

“Willllbuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrr,” he whispered the final time, long and drawn out. The elder flipped around glaring at his brother.

“What do you want?!” he whisper-yelled. Tommy wrapped himself around him, he knew Wilbur couldn’t resist his hugs; his brothers only weakness you could say.

“You’re a bitch,” Wilbur stated, but pulled the boy closer.

“At least I’m not you, asshole,” he retorted.


	22. Pages 61-64 Chapter 4

The next day was bright and sunny. All the snow was melted, leaving mud and dirt in its wake. Halfway through the day Tommy made his way over to meet Tubbo. Wilbur, Phil and Techno were going to spend their time trying to decipher what the scrolls meant. When Tommy returned, he would help, and Phil would teach him how to preen his new appendages.

Tommy’s feet slid as he walked on the slippery path. It was wet, damp and cold outside. He tugged his cloak closer as the wind brushed against him. He could only hope this would go well. Tubbo had set the meeting up himself, but Tommy was still worried that this was Tubbo’s way of saying goodbye altogether. He continued walking up until he could recognize the landscape.

“Tubbo?” he called, pushing back branches and stepping over sticker bushes.

“Tubbo?” he calls again.

“Hi Tommy,” his friend greets. Tommy made his way over, fussing with his hands. He sat down next to him. He was rigid; afraid that he’d mess up once again. When he finally mustered up enough courage, he spoke.

“Can we,” he paused, thinking, “can I talk to you about what happened?” he managed to get out.

“Yeah, big man, I think we need to talk,” Tubbo sighed. Tommy felt relieved, for the first time since their falling out Tubbo hadn’t ignored him, shut him down, tuned him out. Tommy cleared his throat and swallowed, nervous. He wasn’t out of the woods yet.

“Well, here’s the thing Tubbo, I’ve never had a family before,” Tommy began, “I lied to you but only about that, nothing else I swear! I just didn’t want you to take pity on me. You and your siblings have already done so much for me, I just couldn’t think of asking for more.” Tommy spoke the truth. He really didn’t mean to hurt Tubbo, no, that was never his intention. “But now I have my brothers and it’s all I could’ve ever asked for,” he stopped, “I really am sorry Tubbo, do you think you can forgive me?” Tommy finished hopeful. He knew the chances were slim, but he tried; that was all he could do. Tubbo sighed, mulling it over.

“Only if you promise not to- TOMMY” he shouted, “to lie to me again,” he finished, almost in a growl. Tommy found this weird but overlooked it as he was filled with joy. And when the older reached over wrapping him in an all too familiar hug, Tommy couldn’t help but melt; forgetting any previous worries. He held him close, afraid he’d lose Tubbo again.

“I’m so glad we’re friends again. I’m sorry for what I did, I really am.” Tommy pulled back slightly, only enough to see the others face, who smiled back at him.

“I’m happy to hear that Tommy!” he said cheerily, then his demeanor changed, “but I’m not sorry for what I’m about to do,” he smirked pushing the boy backwards off the rock and into a trap. Rope fell out of a tree, covering the younger, being held down by heavy stones. The younger looked around frantically looking for an escape. He was panicking, scared. Tubbo grabbed a bigger rock from the ground, rolling it in his hand, examining it, before turning his attention back to Tommy. Predator and prey.

“Sweet dreams, Thomas.” The brick collided with the blonde. A sickening crack reverberated off the woodlands. Tubbo’s eyes trailed down to the body on the ground, smiling.

“No stop!” he cried suddenly reaching to help his friend.

“Ha! That was easy!” he straightened his back up, his posture confident.

“Tommy!” he cried once more, struggling to reach the boy, tears flooding down his pale cheeks. Tubbo fought with himself, straining his neck; as if that would help.

“Fuck kid, why’d you have to start crying? Now my face is wet and shit!” he yelled angrily, desperate to get the wetness off of his face.

“What did you do to him?” The switch was shorter this time. Tubbo was having a hard time pushing against the control freak in his head.

“Relax kid, I just knocked him out; he isn’t dead.” The man paused, “I think that’s a job I’ll leave for you.” With that, a boy dragged his best friend’s body away.

-

“What do you think it means by, ‘Where the sun’s aligned?” Phil asked, staring at the scrolls as if he missed something.

“I don’t know Phil, why don’t you ask us again, see if we have suddenly figured out the secret to life?” Wilbur replied sarcastically. He hadn’t meant for it to come off as mean, but this was the sixteenth time Phil had asked this question in the past five minutes.

“Well, just think about it. What else could be connected to this?” Techno offered, trying to give Phil something to work with. The latter groaned, wracking his brain. What else could there be? What did they miss?

“Okay, scrolls, prophecy, us,” he counted on his fingers, “No, I have to go back further. The scrolls, where did they come from?” That was a good question, where did they come from? Then it hit him, quite literally. He remembered something from when he was a baby, the day he was leaving. Wilbur just had impeccable timing as well, as he paced his hands would swing back and forth. When he walked up behind Phil, he overshot it by just a tad and ended up hitting him in the back of the head. It wasn’t a good enough hit to do any damage, but was annoying nonetheless.

Phil remembered; he was in a basket wrapped in blankets. A lady with a castle uniform placed the scrolls next to him. That was his oldest memory, who knew it would help him now.

“Ooops, sorry Phil,” Wilbur winced, ready to be scolded. To his surprise Phil shot up quickly, a beaming smile on his face. 

“Wilbur! They came from the castle!” The brunette raised a brow. Phil quickly turned to Techno, the only one of them that had been inside of the castle.

“When you were in the castle, did you see any astronomy looking rooms?” he asked quickly, trying to put the pieces together. Techno shook his head.

“I’m sorry Phil, I was only in like two different rooms before I high tailed it out of there,” Techno replied, Phil groaned.

“Well then, I guess we’ll have to find someone who knows their way around the place,” he started rolling up the scrolls, “If we can get to an astronomy room, maybe we can find some more information.” He put the scrolls back in his satchel before staring out the window.

The sun had long since set, sky completely black now. Clouds moved, hiding bits and pieces of the moon. How were they going to figure this one out? They had been given little to no information, and Phil was baking it all on this inference. He could think about that later, when Tommy got home maybe he would have some input on the matter. Realization fell over him, a palm to his forehead.

“I still have to teach Tommy to preen his wings, and eventually how to fly. Good gods he’s already a handful, imagine him being able to fly,” Phil grimaced at the thought, pinching the bridge of his nose rubbing into his eyes; trying to rid the stress from his head. He could only handle so much at once.

“Wait, Phil?” Wilbur grabbed his attention. The blonde turned his attention to his brother.

“Yes, Wil?” he sighed.

“Shouldn’t Tommy be back by now?”


	23. Pages 65-67 Chapter 4

“Sweet dreams.” A loud crack echoed through the forest, catching the attention of a hooded figure. It stopped, concealing itself as it found where the sickening noise had come from. Two boys, one with brown hair, the other was blonde passed out on the forest ground. Did the conscious one just knock him out?

“No stop!” the boy cried suddenly.

“Ha! That was easy!” What was going on? It was like he had two people inside of one body. How right they were. The back and forth went on for a bit longer before the more aggressive side took over, dragging the unconscious body away. The figure watches, following silently behind. It watches as the boy is taken to the dungeons after a days’ worth of travel. He’s put into a cell, cuffs on his hands. A foot chained to the wall. They know how to get in, but better yet; how to get out. If this boy was going to be free before his execution they would need some help.

-

“We have to find him now!” The three brothers rushed out the door. Tommy had officially been gone for eight hours now. Tommy wouldn’t just up and leave them, would he? No, he went to meet Tubbo. Maybe he was just having fun and lost track of time, the could only hope.

Frantic knocks made their way to Niki’s door. Said girl was sitting in the living room with Ranboo playing chess. She quickly got up, answering the door. Tommy’s brothers who she had met a day earlier stood there, doubled over and heaving. Her eyes widened, what were they so worked up about? Then she saw it, Tubbo and Tommy weren’t with them.

“Are you alright?” she asked pulling them into the small cottage. Ranboo ran over to see what the commotion was about.

“H-have you seen Tommy?” Wilbur managed to get out.

“No, I haven’t. Tubbo hasn’t come home either, I thought he would be with Tommy still.” The five ran off, Niki and Ranboo searching the town. Wilbur, Phil and Techno would search the woods. Every person was asked if they had seen the boys. Every person had denied seeing them. They checked every nook and cranny, anywhere the boys could fit. While those two had no luck there, the other three weren’t doing too well either.

The first place they thought to check was Tommy’s old home. The dirt hut had long since caved in on itself, leaving a pile of mud in its wake. Thank god they had taken him in, who knows what would’ve happened if he stayed out here. They didn’t know, but they knew he might not be in a better situation then he is now. Phil scoured the tree tops; Wilbur checked every bush and shrub. Techno checked everywhere they hadn’t. Soon the three came upon their learning place. They couldn’t help but have their chests tighten, remembering the moments with their brother. Spotting something out the corner of his eye, Techno walked over to the sitting rock and crouched down.

“Uh, guys?” Techno called them over. Soaked in a pile of dead leaves, was dried blood. Dark red and metallic.

“Have you guys found anything yet?” Wilbur asked, running over to Niki and Ranboo. Phil and Techno close behind. Niki shook her head.

“No, there’s no signs of either of them,” she said solemnly.

“Agghh!” Wilbur’s hand connected with the thick trunk of a tree.

“Fuck!” he winced pulling his hand back.

“Calm down, we’ll find them.” Phil grabbed his hand, cradling it.

“What about you guys?” Niki asked timidly. The three shared a look, before Techno stepped forward.

“We don’t know if this is related to them or not, but I’m afraid it might be.” Techno handed Niki one of the leaves they had found. Her face dropped.

“We need to find them, and fast.”

“I agree, but if we haven’t found them by now, they aren’t in the village. Go home for the night, we’ll head out further tomorrow, stock up and what not. If either of them come back, get us immediately,” Phil gave out instructions, they all hated that he was right. Out of all the things they wanted to do right now, sleep was the last thing on their minds.

Ranboo and Niki nodded reluctantly before heading home. No one slept that night Not an eye closed once, nothing but worrisome thoughts clouded their minds.


	24. Pages 68- 70 Chapter 4

When Tommy came to, the first thing he felt was _cold_. It felt familiar, an old friend embracing him. He hadn’t felt this in months, not since meeting his brothers. Everything was so cold. The metal cuffs on his hands, the heavy chain on his foot, the walls and floors. A breeze blew its way through an open window. He winced, curling in on himself, shivering. The wind was not welcome here. He could hear the sound of his teeth chattering against one another. Where was he? This place didn’t look familiar at all. The entire room was made of concrete, from ceiling to floor. He was sat up against the wall in the cell. He felt like a bird in a cage, ironic, I know. On the walls were metal holsters, cradling torches. The yellow flickering glow filled the room, illuminating just barely enough for him to see.

Tommy wanted nothing more than to be back with his brothers right now, the place where he was loved, the place where he was _warm._ He felt drowsy, eyelids heavy, like he was going to pass out again. No, he couldn’t sleep now. He shook himself awake. He had to figure out where he was, what was happening, what _happened._ Then it all came rushing back to him like a damn being broke, the water bursting through.

Tubbo.

He was the cause of this, Tommy thought they had made up. The brick, his head, the trap. A hand and it’s leashed extra flew to the aching spot on his temple. It felt wet, warm. When he brought his hand back down, he could see the red covering his palm. He shuddered, eyes widening. How long had it been since then? Why hadn’t it stopped bleeding yet? If it kept up this way, he would surely die from blood loss.

“So, you’re finally awake.” A man walked through the doorway, his knuckles were white gripping Tubbo’s arm and dragging him along behind him. Tommy glared, who was this guy? Why was Tubbo with him? When Tommy glanced at his friend, he saw nothing but sadness and concern paint his face. He felt a pang of sadness flow through him.

“That’s a lot of blood there champ.” Tommy cringed at the name. “We can’t have you dying from blood loss can we?” the man faked his concern, “I have something _much_ more fun planned.”

-

When the three woke up, multiple bags were packed, gear equipped. They set off as early as they could straight to Niki’s cottage. They were greeted with the other two prepared similarly to themselves.

“I was thinking of going to our older brother,” Niki started, “he rules a neighboring kingdom to Wisthaven, called Lestinasia. Tubbo knows how to get there, maybe they went to him. You see we were all born here in Wisthaven but he was chosen as the next king due to the lack of an heir. The previous king never bore any offspring or had any living relatives to take over the throne, and one day while in passing Eret helped save him and was chosen as his successor.”

“Oh? Why are you guys still here then?” Wilbur asked curiously.

“We didn’t want to live there… All of that responsibility, we couldn’t handle it. When he was first crowned, we went with and we lived there for about a year, but after that he got more help with Ponk and Punz. We decided to come back here. Sometimes I think Eret regrets the decision as well, he didn’t really have a choice. He visits as often as he can here. But it’s still not the same sometimes,” She finished, a faraway look on her face, remembering. After a moment of silence Techno spoke up.

“Alright, you two go see if they went there. We’re going to head further into the forest, more towards the castle. In three days, we’ll come back here to reconvene if we still haven’t found them. Okay?” Everyone nodded, understanding. “Then, we’ll see you in three days.”


	25. Pages 71-73 Chapter 4

Techno, Phil and Wilbur searched the forest thoroughly, going further than they had the day before. They were about halfway to the castle when night fell.

“Come on, let’s set up camp for the night, we can’t see anything out here right now.” The moon was new, not visible in the sky. Everything was pitch black rendering their efforts useless.

“How far do you think they could’ve gone?” Wilbur asked, poking at the fire. Sparks and ash floated into the air, lighting up the dark.

“Depends,” answered Phil, “if they had horses they could be long gone by now. On foot, they might’ve made it to the castle. I haven’t seen any where they could discreetly get a horse through here, but then again who knows,” Phil sighed. He couldn’t help the thoughts, they told him that the boys were dead. Even so, there hadn’t been enough blood for anyone to die back where the found the leaves. Though, anything could have happened since then.

Soon, the fire was nothing but smoke, wafting into the air. The three brothers were sound asleep. The night was still, cold. A figure moved quickly, quietly, expertly. They had gone through these woods so often, they could travel back and forth with their eyes closed if needed. So, when they smelled the smoke, curiosity took over. Who was in their forest? Not many people came through these parts, let alone spent the night. Why were they here? The figure watched from behind a tree, just as they had done with the other boys. All three of these travelers, however, were sound asleep, uninjured. Unlike their previous encounter.

Curious, they inched closer. The travelers were all men, pink, brown and blonde. One was lanky, spread out on the ground. Another was shorter, curled up on his side. The final looked to be some height between the two and slept still, rigid. The figure moved forward once more, trying to be as quiet as possible. Though they weren’t quite quiet enough. One second the middle boy was asleep on the ground, the next his sword was against their throat.

“Wilbur, Phil,” he woke them up, “we have company.”

-

“Who are you?” Tommy asked. The man groaned pinching the bridge of his nose.

“You and your friend, what is with the pleasantries?” Tommy shrugged, glaring up at him.

“Fine, I’ll give you my name, seeing as you won’t be breathing shortly,” the man smirked. “My name is Schlatt, J. Schlatt.” He picked up a small dagger from a side table, twirling it twice.

“Okay, Schlatt, why am I here?” his eyes narrowed. Schlatt face palmed again, groaning.

“Again? You two and your questions. No wonder you’re such good friends.” His words struck a chord.

“Just tell me already!” Tommy shot up getting as far as he could before the chain around his ankle pulled him back. Schlatt’s previously irritated and annoyed demeanor changed, something more sinister replacing it.

“You’re planning on taking something from me, and I can’t have that happening,” he said through clenched teeth.

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about!” Tommy shot back; he met his gaze.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter anyways, like I said before, you won’t be alive in a couple of minutes.” The eyes felt like they were attempting to figure him out, search through his head, but they stopped when the barrier pushed them back.

“Don’t worry I’m not going to be the one to do it,” Schlatt reassured. He handed the dagger he was holding over to Tubbo. Said boy stepped back trying to avoid accepting the knife.

“Take it.” Schlatt demanded. Tubbo shook his head, curling in on himself a bit.

“No, I-I can’t.” Schlatt grabbed the boy by his collar dragging him over to the cell.

“You don’t get a choice; you’ve already tried to cheat me once. You won’t do it again.” He thrust the knife into the boy’s hands.

“No, no I can’t. No.” The boy’s head shook, tears spilling from his eyes. He couldn’t do this. No not now, not ever.

“Kill him, Tubbo.”


	26. Pages 74-78 Chapter 4

A sword was at their throat, their head could be lying next to their body in seconds if they didn't act accordingly. 

"Who are you?" Techno growled, the sword never wavering. 

"Techno, what did they do?" Phil asked approaching the two, he couldn't help as a very similar previous situation played through his mind like deja vu. 

"They were watching us sleep. Probably planning on killing us," Techno spat, glaring at the captive. Phil sighed, what was he going to do with him? 

"Fine, then. Who are you and what do you want with us?" he asked, taking Techno's side. 

"I wasn't- I mean no harm. Could you possibly just, maybe, take the sword away from my throat? It's, getting pretty close there." A woman's voice spoke from beneath the hood. Techno grabbed the hood down, it was hard to see in the night but she seemed to have pale skin, black hair and deep brown eyes. Her voice was soft and kind, but they weren't going to be fooled easily. 

"No, not until you can prove you aren't a threat." Techno didn't hesitate, confidence radiating off of him. 

"Then what can I do to convince you otherwise?" She asked, still nervous of the blade oh so very close to her throat. 

"Drop all of your weapons, answer all of our questions," he instructed. 

"I mean, I could do that but you could also kill me very easily then," she thought aloud. Techno scoffed.

"That's kind of the point." The blade got closer. 

"Fine, fine." She took all of her weapons and dropped them on the ground. They mainly consisted of variants of small knives, but she also had one sword. "So what do you want to know? I did as you asked I'll answer your questions, can you put the sword away now?" she spoke confidently, despite her situation. Techno grumbled, but removed he weapon. 

"What are you doing here?" Phil came over, asking the question most of them had been wondering. The woman brushed a strand of hair from her eye. 

"Well, I could ask you the same thing, I come through here on a regular basis. Barely anyone travels through these wood, yet the past two days it seems to be picking up popularity," she explained. This piqued their interest. 

"Who else came through before us?" Phil asked quickly. She raised a brow before answering. 

" Oh, um, they were two boys. They looked to be around twelve to thirteen. The brown haired one was weird, he kept talking to himself, through himself, if that makes sense? He dragged the blonde all the way to the dungeons. I think he hit him in the head with a stone or brick as well," she recalled her previous encounter. "I was actually going back to the village to get some help, I need to get that boy out of there before they execute him, but I need help," she finished slightly out of breath. The three blanched, she was talking about Tommy and Tubbo. 

"Listen, our brother is the one who was taken to the dungeons; we've been looking for him, would you mind taking us there?" Phil stepped toward her worry and excitement coursed through him. They knew where he was, they could save him; but could they do it in time was the question. 

"Well, I'm glad our motives align, I'd be more than happy to take you to him, get him out of there. That other boy with him was unsettling, unstable, it's not safe for him there," she explained, concern lacing her tone. 

"Mmmm. Thank you, how soon can we leave?" he asked. 

"If you're up for it, right now. Just keep close and be quiet, we'll be there before the sun rises." 

-

"Tubbo?" Tommy asked, his eyes held the unspoken question. _'What do you choose?'_

"Tommy," his voice broke sobbing. 

"I can't- I can't do it, I would never do that! Tommy's my best friend!" Tubbo turned to Schlatt, angry tears spilling over the dams of his eyes. Schlatt glared.

"This would've been so much easier if you had just done as you were told," he was seething. "I wanted you to do this willingly, to feel the pain of killing your best friend. You will kill him!" he spat. "You know what they say; if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." One moment Schlatt was standing next to the boy. The next he was gone. Tommy watched with wide eyes as Tubbo suddenly hunched over in pain. 

"Tubbo?" Tommy asked, trying to get to his friend, the chains rattling. Tubbo screamed, pain searing through his body, trying to defend himself from the intruder. Suddenly, it was silent, all except for the heavy breathing coming from Tubbo. The heaving boy glanced up at the younger through his bangs, smirking, a blood-thirty look in his eyes. 

"Tubbo?" he asked again. No, this wasn't Tubbo, this wasn't _his_ Tubbo. This was Schlatt. He trudged over to Tommy slowly, like his feet were made of lead. 

"No, no," Tommy shook his head backing away. He didn't want to die, he wanted to live. What about his brothers? What would they do? They could finish the prophecy without him, couldn't they? They could, Tommy decided. He sucked in a breath. He knew Tubbo was trying, he knew Tubbo didn't want to, he wasn't in control. He knew it was himself or Tubbo. Yes, he knew all too well. Tommy exhaled, a calmness replacing his fear. Only one of them would leave here alive. Tommy decided it would be Tubbo. 

He didn't feel the sharpness of the knife plunge into his chest. He didn't feel the warm blood trickle out of his body. He didn't feel his legs collapse, or the soft hands that caught him before he hit the floor. He didn't notice Schlatt leave, satisfied with his work. The only thing he noticed was Tubbo, his tears dripping from his face onto his own. He could see the complete and utter sadness in the brown eyes of his. Why was he so sad? Tommy would always choose Tubbo, all and every single time. 

"Tommy! Tommy? Tommy, no I-" he cried, cradling the boys head in his hands, kneeling next to him. "Tommy, it's okay, you're going to be okay," Tubbo whispered sweet nothings, white lies. They both knew where the knife had ended up. They both knew there was no hope for him. Yet, Tommy listened. He listened, but he didn't believe. 

"Tubbo, it's okay," he coughed out, blood filling his taste buds. The other panicked, concerned at the sight. 

"No Tommy don't, you're going to be okay, you're going to be okay." He clawed and ripped at the chains, desperate to get them off. In his desperation he didn't notice Tommy's shaking hand reach up, resting on his cheek, brushing away his tears. A memory made its way to the front of his brain, the time when he was first learning how to cook and ended up burning his hand severely. Tommy was there with him, and just like now, he wiped away his tears. He shouldn't be the one consoling him, he was the one dying. Tubbo grabbed the hand and held it close to his face, as tightly as he could. He couldn't lose Tommy, not when he just got him back, not when he didn't even get to say sorry. He wasn't ready, but if there's one thing they could understand is that, you're never going to be ready; not for death, not for anything. 

"I'm so sorry Tommy, I shouldn't have gotten so upset, I shouldn't have agreed with Schlatt, I shouldn't have let you get hurt," he cried. 

"Tubbo," Tommy satted weakly, "I'm glad it was me, because; I'll always choose you." He smiled, his eyes filled with pure and utter happiness. How could someone portray such an emotion when they were so, _so_ close to death? Those words they weren't white lies. They just held all the truth, and everything that was left unsaid. 

Tubbo watched as the light faded from Tommy's eyes. The once bright baby blue was now a dull grey. In the basement of a castle, the furthest you could go, a boy mourned his friend.

"NO TOMMY NO!" he screamed, he cried, and if anyone heard the faint screams coming from the depths of the dungeons, they shrugged it off. They must be imagining it; after all, no one was allowed there in the first place.


	27. Pages 79-81 Chapter 4

"I think we can get in this way." She pointed to a tall window, the only open window, all the way in the upper right tower of the castle. Techno couldn't help the deja vu. This was the same place he got in as a child. 

"So, who wants to go first?" she asked turning back to the three behind her. Techno wordlessly started up the wall, Wilbur attempting to follow quickly behind. 

"Well, they didn't have to be told twice," she noted. Phil chuckled slightly, letting out a breath. 

"Welp, up we go I suppose." With that the two followed behind, climbing the castle wall. Long story short, scaling a wall with four people without being caught was harder than they thought it would be. Especially when the person leading kept stopping because they heard someone coming. 

"Shh!" Techno waved out a hand to stop them. 

"Techno, for the last time, will you-" 

"Did you hear that?" A deep voice made its way to their ears through the open window. All four stopped in their tracks. Phil, who had been in mid climb, was reaching for a crevasse when he slipped. Blood rushed to his ears, he could feel his body go airborne for a second before a hand grabbed his. When their hands touched they could feel a spark run through their arms, almost like when you touch something metal and the little shock surprises you for a second. The electrons leaving your body and transfer to the conductor. Static electricity. Their eyes met for a second before realizing the situation they were still in. Phil's heart was still rapidly beating as he reached for a more sturdy brick, hoisting himself up into a stable position. He chalked the pounding of his chest up to being near seconds from death. 

When the people left after finding nothing, Techno waved them up. All four clambering through the open window. Now the hard part came, getting to the dungeons without being spotted. After all they were all the way up in the top of the right tower, this was going to be a hassle. 

-

"Eret!" A frantic Niki shouted, Ranboo towing close behind. The person in question whipped around to see his siblings running over. A smile appeared on his face, it had been so long since last seeing them. 

"Hi! I didn't know you were visiting today, I didn't think I was going to see you guys for another month!" he said happily but stopped when he noticed a missing piece, "Where's Tubbo?" He assumed Tubbo would be along shortly, maybe they brought Tommy along with them as well. That would be nice, Eret didn't like being in the castle for very long and those two would always give him something to take his mind off of; whether it was a board game or stopping them from flooding the hallways, he was always relieved for the distraction. 

"He's not with you?" Ranboo asked, worried. 

"Did he come through here at all? Him or Tommy?" Niki added her voice the same emotion as Ranboo. Eret shook his head, their worry rubbing off onto him. 

"No, I haven't seen either of them. Did something happen?"

"Tommy and Tubbo are missing, we came here because we thought they might've come to you. Tommy's brothers are searching the opposite side of Wisthaven but we haven't found anything yet." She was worked up, worry filling to the brim of the cup. A comforting hand placed itself on her shoulder. 

"It's okay, we'll find them," Eret assured her before turning to his advisors, "Ponk, Punz, I will be going back to Wisthaven with them. Just make sure the kingdom doesn't burn down before I get back." With that the three left, heading back to Niki's cottage to meet with the others on the third day. They could only hope the other three were having better luck then them.


	28. Pages 82-85 Chapter 5

The dungeon door creaked open. After successfully getting down from the tower, they finally made it to their destination; but not in time. The cell door was wide open. They could hear the choked sobs of Tubbo who was hunched over in the corner. Their chests sunk, a hole filling up in seconds, water rushing in; sinking the boat. They held a breath, what had happened? Phil was the first to move, making his way over to the boy. 

"Tubbo?" he asked cautiously, placing a hand on his back. He only cried harder, and then Phil saw it; Tommy's limp body laying in Tubbo's careful hold. Phil sucked in a breath, the body was still, so incredulously still. A dagger was still jammed into his chest, blood covering his front, spilling from his mouth, leaking from his head. There's no way he would survive this. Phil's mind stopped, just as Tommy's heart had moments ago.

Tommy, the boy he had come to know and love so much over the past few months. The cunning, and overly confident child that they deemed their little brother. A boy, no older than twelve, who hadn't gotten to experience much of anything, yet he experienced death far earlier than any of them. When Phil choked out a sob, everyone knew, they just _knew_. 

Techno stood in shock, he had seen so much death in this world, brought it upon one too many poor souls, and yet, he never felt anything. This shouldn't be any different, shouldn't it? So tell him why- why his breathing quickened. Why his chest tightened. Why his heart ached. Why his knees buckled and left his body to drop to the floor. Why water pooled in his eyes. Why he couldn't move. Why he suddenly felt it all come crashing down at once. Why he suddenly _cared_. 

Wilbur rushed over grabbing the limp body from Tubbo, holding it as closely as possible. He was so cold. He held him like he had every night prior. He screamed until his lungs burned. Emotions boiled inside of him, bubbling to the surface and spilling out of the pot. He screamed in sadness, he was gone. He screamed in Anger, he was stolen from him. He screamed in guilt, if only they had been quicker. He screamed in disbelief, he was so young. He screamed for everything he felt, the unfairness of the world catching up with him. The unfairness to the child in his arms whose life had been stripped away so quickly.

Everyone sat. They sat in the cold dungeon in the middle of the night and they mourned the death of the child that had touched their hearts. It took hours, but eventually the wells behind their eyes, came to a drought. The screams had died away, but the pain and agony would linger in the air. They were all so, _so_ tired. 

Wilbur rested his head on Tommy's small frame, just like he let the child do some many times before. _'Buh-b-du-dum'_ Great, now he would have heart problems, he's never heard it skip beats like that before. _'Buh-du-bu-bu-d-dum'_ No, that wasn't one heartbeat; it was two. A faint, almost non-existent breath tickled his cheek. He pressed an ear against the boys chest and held his breath. _'Buh dum'_ He heard it, the faint heartbeat of his little brother. Wilbur shot up, cradling the boy close. He screamed again, this time in joy. Pure and utter happiness coursed through him. He was alive, _he is alive_. The others in the room jumped at his sudden outburst, the previous silence and sniffles were replaced. 

"He's alive, he's alive," Wilbur yelled incredulously, ecstatic. Phil watched concerned. Was this how Wilbur dealt with death? Trying to convince himself otherwise? He didn't know. 

"Wil, he's not. He's dead." Phil said, he could feel himself only grow sadder as he too, faced the cold reality of it all. 

"No, no he's alive. Look," Wilbur pushed Tommy's body into Phil's arms, whose eyes widened when he too heard the faint heartbeat. 

"He's alive," he whispered in pure disbelief. Techno and Tubbo rushed over, needing to confirm for themselves that he was breathing. Phil passed the boy off before walking to the back of the room, where the woman who helped them rescue him stood. 

"Thank you, if it weren't for you, we would never have found him." His voice held a genuinity she had never heard before, gratefulness lacing through it as well. 

"Please, it was no problem at all. This is my job after all," she smiled a contagious smile. 

"You help find missing people?" Phil asked. She laughed shaking her head. 

"No, I help innocent prisoners escape. After all I was in their place once. No one was there to help me, after I escaped I vowed to help anyone in a similar situation to mine. The rulers of this kingdom have absolutely no mercy, and no care. They believe whoever has the most money in their pockets and slaughters the rest. It's awful really. That's why I do what I do." she finished, a determined spark in her eyes. 

"You know, I don't think I've properly introduced myself. I'm Philza, Philza Wisthaven," he extended a hand, an invitation. Her eyes widened, shock evident on her face. 

"Wisthaven? Like as in...?" she faded off. Phil laughed but nodded, confirming her suspicions. She smiled again before taking his hand. 

"I'm Kristin, pleasure to meet you, your majesty," she curtsied exaggeratedly. Her humor was refreshing, especially right after you thought your brother died- Oh right... They only had one more question left to wonder. How were they going to get out of the castle?


	29. Pages 86-87 Chapter 5

"I think we have something to discuss." George sat in the lounge, a book in his hands, when he heard a voice from behind him. 

"What is there to discuss? I haven't used any of your magic, I owe you nothing." George spat, slamming his book shut. 

"Awe, poor little baby throwing a tantrum?" Schlatt teased rubbing his eyes. "If I were you, I'd be grateful for my help, after all," he paused, "I just eliminated your biggest threat." George was surprised by this, who even was his biggest threat?

"And that means?" he asked. Schlatt raised a brow, how stupid was he? Schlatt leaned over the back of the chair closer to the king. 

"Oh, so now you're interested, only when it's something that benefits you," he spat, but George wasn't hurt by this, it was the truth after all. "The kids dead, you won't have to worry about that stupid prophecy anymore, and as for your pay, let's consider it an IOU." Schlatt smirked before popping out of existence. What had George gotten himself into? 

\- 

After a lot of adrenaline, and supposed stealthy-ness they made it back out of the castle rather quickly, considering all of the extra factors that had been put into play. Once they were out of the castle they didn't stop there, the only thing they wanted to do now was go home; so, that's what they did. Yes, it took them all night, and no they didn't get there before the sun had risen, but they made it back to Niki's cottage eventually. When they got there everyone was relieved, they could finally relax, not worry about getting caught. 

Phil and Kristin sat in the living room with Tubbo, all of which were fast asleep now, exhausted from the day before and the trip back. Techno and Wilbur took the sleeping Tommy up to one of the bedrooms and cleaned him up. Within a couple minutes it looked as if the boy had just fallen asleep, not stabbed by his best friend. And for the first time in a long time, Wilbur got to hold his little brother as they slept, making sure he was okay. And for the first time ever, Techno laid on the opposite side, never wanting to experience that ever again. 

-

"Do you think they're back yet?" Ranboo asked, following quickly behind his older siblings. 

"Maybe, I'm not too sure. If they found Tommy and Tubbo then yes. If not, then I don't know," Niki replied. To her the three brothers seemed like people that didn't give up easily and she doubted they would come back so early without any progress. 

When the three came upon the cabin, they could see muddy footprints leading in. They were here. Eret went first, pushing the door open to reveal the three sleeping figures on the couch. They immediately recognized the sleeping boy in the middle. Happiness filled their chests. Tubbo was safe. Niki was the first to run over snatching the child up in her arms, tears flowing freely. 

"Mmmm, Niki?" a sleepy Tubbo asked looking up at his sister. 

"Yeah Tubbo, I'm here." And soon the four were in a group hug. Seeing as everyone was exhausted from traveling they all curled up in different places and slept. They would figure and find out everything else when they woke up. For now they just wanted peace.


	30. Pages 88-90 Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! so like 9 user subscriptions? is this like a good thing? I'm not really all that sure how ao3 works still (I just got my account back at the end of November so this is like my 3rd month of having an account-) But thank you I think? I'm under the impression this is good but again I am also just very much so confused XD   
> Have a great day guys!

The next day was bright and sunny, a drastic change to the previous day's events. You could see the dust through the sunlit windows. The trees finally didn't look as dead as they had been in the previous months and now all the snow had cleared from the ground. The wetness finally retreating. 

No one wanted to talk about what happened. The three brothers still couldn't shake the image of the still Tommy. Even now, they don't understand how he lived, especially after losing that much blood. PHil had theory but he would be able to have his confirmations later. 

The action of stabbing his best friend, and crying heart out replayed in Tubbo's mind, over and over and over again. Niki, Ranboo and Eret were all still extremely confused as to how they found the boys, and what had happened in their absence.

"So, is anyone going to tell us what happened?" Eret asked once everyone excluding Tommy was awake. He wanted some answers, just like his other two siblings. No one answered. 

"Tubbo?" he questioned. 

"I don't want to talk about it," the boys voice was cold and monotone, two things he never was. He wanted to forget, he wanted to undo, he wanted it gone. 

"Tubbo, you're going to have to tell us eventually. It's clearly effecting you," Niki tried reasoning. 

"No! I don't I just want to forget about it!" he yelled back. Maybe if he acted like it didn't happen, it truly wouldn't have. 

"Look, Tubbo; we just want to help you, something obviously happened," Ranboo tried explaining Niki's reasoning. This was all too much. Why did they want to help him? After everything he's done, why?

"No, I don't deserve any help! I killed him, Ranboo. I stabbed him, I did it! I killed Tommy!" his voice cracked sobs following in suite. He wouldn't forget the blood that stained his hands, and now they knew it too. 

"Who killed me?" a half-asleep Tommy waltzed down the stairs. Tubbo's eyes only widened, he didn't want to hurt Tommy again, so instead of doing what he normally would; he stood still and didn't move a muscle. The younger boys eyes glazed over the room before resting on him. 

"Tubbo!" he yelled a smile painting his face. He ran over to the stiff boy engulfing him in a hug. 

"Tommy?" he asked in disbelief, yes he was alive, but he didn't think he would forgive him. 

"Yeah big T?" he asked back. Tubbo only smiled and hugged the other closer. Tommy hissed in pain.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" Tubbo asked frantically letting go of his friend hands in the air. 

"No, it's not you. My back just hurts like shit," Tommy replied with clenched teeth. Phil glanced over concerned, he had an assumption as to why his back hurt. 

"Tommy, do you mind coming over here for a bit?" he called the boy over. Tommy nodded sitting down in front of Phil. "Whatever you see in this room, stays in this room. I trust you all well enough but if one peep gets out about this, _I will have your head on a platter. am I understood?"_ Phil asked through clenched teeth. Techno and Wilbur also seemed to get defensive the menacing protectiveness and bloodlust wafted through the room. Everyone nodded, they had just found out not to mess with an angry Phil. "Good," he smiled, "I'm glad we're all on the same page," he said cheerfully. 

Phil started by methodically massaging the boys shoulder blades. The tension in his back was already dissolving. When Phil poked a certain place the mesh like skin that hid his wings for so long finally opened back up. They gently readjusted themselves happy to be free from the containment. The poor boys wings were just disgusting. Sweat coated them, not only from the internal body heat but the heat that radiated off of them naturally as well. His feathers were bent at awkward angles some even just laying on top of one another, not being held there with anything but sweat. 

_I swear, why does this boy constantly have to be using his magic?_ Phil thought to himself. If he were to touch Tommy's wings right now he's sure he would get at _least_ 3rd degree burns. So now not only did everyone get to know about Tommy's wings, but they also got to know about Phil's. 

Carefully he started on the boy's wings. His fingers ran through the feathers, trying to find the ones that had started shedding. It was a repetitive motion that lulled Tommy back to sleep. To the boy it felt like someone was massaging his scalp, running their fingers through his hair. When he found ones that were bent he would try to readjust them. 

After a while Phil finally deemed his wings to be good as new and the excess heat they had previously given off was now just a soothing warmth.


	31. Pages 91-93 Chapter 5

"You know Schlatt, I've got to hand it to you," a man's voice paused. "You're ahead of your game, killing that boy? Ruthless truly. You've assured the fate of Wisthaven, all of its magic gone for good," the man speaking turned to face his rival, "But this doesn't mean I yield. Our race to the throne doesn't end here." Schlatt only laughed in response, who did this guy think he was? How could he possibly win the demon throne after all that he had done? Schlatt had a hand in every bowl. The prophecy was taken care of, and he had direct control over the ruler of Wisthaven, the only thing stopping them from bringing the underworld up. How could he not win?

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try," Schlatt challenged, never breaking eye contact. The other man scoffed. 

"You know Schlatt? I like your confidence," he turned, walking towards the door, "but we'll see how confident you'll be when you're dead." With that Schlatt was left by himself. He was confident sure. He had this entire battle in the bag, but he couldn't help but worry for what his rival has planned. 

-

"Do you want me to take him up to bed?" Wilbur asked Phil, who had been holding a sleeping Tommy in one of the most uncomfortable looking positions for the past five hours. He had completely refused to move the boy thinking he would wake up at any moment, and after almost dying he would need his rest. In fact after everything, they just wanted him comfortable. 

Phil nodded gratefully, the numbness in his legs finally telling him to let the boy be moved. He pushed him up gently, trying not to wake him up. Wilbur scooped his brother, carrying him up to bed. When they were settled, soon enough Wilbur drifted off to sleep as well.

_"I'm so sorry Tommy, I shouldn't have gotten so upset, I shouldn't have agreed with Schlatt, I shouldn't have let you get hurt," he cried._

_"Tubbo," Tommy satted weakly, "I'm glad it was me, because; I'll always choose you." He smiled, his eyes filled with pure and utter happiness. How could someone portray such an emotion when they were so, so close to death? Those words they weren't white lies. They just held all the truth, and everything that was left unsaid._

_"-_ mmy? Tommy!" The younger boy could feel himself pressed up against his brothers chest, two hands held him close, rocking him gently. He didn't notice the wetness on his cheeks until he felt a tear drop onto his arm. What had happened? Why was he crying? 

"Tommy, are you alright?" Wilbur asked after his hiccups had dissolved. The boy nodded slightly. "Why don't we go back to bed, yeah?" Wilbur suggested laying the both of them back down from their sitting position. Tommy felt safe, he really did. He trusted Wilbur, and if that was the only problem he would have fallen back asleep. But that wasn't the problem, the problem was that he didn't trust himself, his mind, what would it replay next? Death wasn't all that pleasant to experience once in a lifetime let alone your mind constantly reminding you of it. He didn't go back to sleep, because he was scared of what he would see. 

-

"You know George, you should really be watching out for that Schlatt guy. Don't use anymore of his magic unless absolutely necessary. You don't want to owe him anything else," Dream advised, he was George's head advisor after all, very good at his job. George sighed irritatedly, what did Dream take him for? An idiot? He knew something as simple as that. 

"Yes Dream, I know. But it doesn't help when the stupid demon doesn't even play by his own rules! He came here last night and told me I owe him because he took care of one of the Prophecy brothers! I never asked him to do that! I never agreed to this! It's completely stupid and outrageous!" George yelled slamming a fist on the table. Dream watched with amusement, George could get so worked up over things sometimes. "I know I have to be careful with him, but it doesn't help when I don't even know what's going on," he tried explaining. 

"I know George, but then why did you agree to this in the first place?" Dream asked. George looked at him like he had two heads. 

"You know why, how could you even _think_ about forgetting? I did this to protect you and Sapnap! If it were anyone else, anywhere else, I would've never signed a contract with a demon. Growing up that was the one thing I was told repeatedly not to do, but if it saved you two... wouldn't it be worth it? Wouldn't it be worth every second of frustration and fear? But if you don't even care, then why did I do it!?"


	32. Pages 94-96 Chapter 5

"Well then, I think it's time I get gong," Kristin walked over, grabbing Phil's attention. His brow raised slightly, she was ready to leave at the drop of a hat. 

"So soon?" he asked, stepping away from sorting his satchel, and towards her. 

"Yeah, I figured I've definitely overstayed my welcome at this point. Gained some knowledge of things I probably shouldn't know about," she motioned to behind him, "besides, all of this just feels very personal. I don't want to get in between any of that." Her views made sense, she was a stranger in all of this. She had simply been in the right place at the right time. Why she even came back with them, she didn't know. Why hadn't she just gone home? 

"If that's really what you want, I won't stop you. But just know you're welcome here, you're not intruding, and I- we, would love it if you'd stay. Even if only for a bit longer." His words sent butterflies through her chest. _Did he say I?_ She shrugged it off, even if he had said it first, he corrected himself. Kristin sighed once, mulling it over. It all still just felt so awkward, she felt so out of place. Why did he want her to stay even now? Even so, she did enjoy the time spent here, there never seemed to be a dull moment, even with everything that had happened.

"Fine, I'll stay; but only for a bit longer," she agreed. Phil's face lit up by a blinding smile. 

"I'm glad, this means you get to watch Tommy learn how to fly," he laughed pulling her along behind him before bursting into the other room. "Tommy!" he yelled. The child he was looking for was not in bed however, but sitting on a chair by the window. Phil found this odd, Tommy never got up early, let alone when he was told to; he brushed it off maybe it was something to do with adapting to everything. "Hey Toms, you wanna go flying?" he asked walking over to the boy. Tommy's eyes lit up immediately, this was what he wanted to do ever since getting his wings!

"Yes! When?" he nodded vigorously, shooting up out of his chair. 

"Why not now? It's early enough that if we go into the forest no one should see us, yeah?" With that Kristin, Phil and Tommy headed off to the place where he had learnt so many things. The trip there was awful for Tommy, he was constantly tripping over muck on the ground but also his own two feet. His eyes felt so incredibly heavy and he wanted nothing more than to cut them off, or glue them open. 

"Alright Toms, why don't you start with just taking out your wings and moving them around a bit," Phil suggested, demonstrating. For once, when he took out his wings, they weren't bright saturated reds, oranges and yellows; but a dark navy blue with gold specks, identical to what Phil's looked like right now as well. He moved the right one, then the left, wiggling and waving them about. "Good. Now, why don't we start." Tommy spotted the dangerous sparkle in Phil's eyes, he could only worry about what was about to happen. 

Phil grabbed him, flying up to the peak of the tallest tree. The branch they stood on bent under their weight. Kristin watched in awe from the ground. As they stood there, Tommy looked out amongst the village and forestry that seemingly stretched on for miles, just until it collided with a mountain. It was beautiful and peaceful, and made him so tired. He yawned once, blinking quickly to keep his eyes open. 

"So what now?" he asked, Phil who was stood a little bit behind him. 

"I believe in learning on the job." With that Phil pushed the half-asleep Tommy right out of the tree.


	33. Pages 97-99 Chapter 5

The rush of air blew past Tommy's ears, pulling his hair back gently. In this moment he felt free, and so completely _alone_. The truth about flying was, yes it was as free as you could be, entirely control of yourself, of everything. But Tommy wasn't flying, no.

He was falling. 

If he wasn't awake before he sure was now, pure adrenaline flooded his body. He paled a bit in disbelief, Phil had just pushed him out of a tree. _What was he thinking?! You don't push a child out of a tree!_ Tommy screamed as he fell, trying to make sense of everything around him. The longer he plummeted the less he could understand what was actually moving; him or everything else. He was so so tired, but he was falling to his potential death, but sleep... Fuck sleep, he can die later. 

His wings opened like a parachute, significantly slowing the falling down, but he still wasn't quite flying. A flap of a wing, then the other. He headed for the ground, trying to make a half-decent landing. Though, what he thought wasn't terrible, both Kristin and Phil winced at. Kristin ran over first, worried about the boy. She scooped him up, brushing his bangs back. She was given a clear view of the purpling bags under his eyes. 

"Are you alright Tommy?" she asked gently. His eyes kept closing and opening, then he would blink frantically; trying to stay awake. He hesitated before nodding slightly, he had to hide his exhaustion. 

"When was the last time you slept?" He squinted his eyebrows, thinking. When was the last time he slept? He definitely didn't know. 

"Five days?" his reply was weak and hard to hear, forced. Her eyes widened, why hadn't he been sleeping? 

"Go to sleep bud, you look like you're going to pass out any second," Kristin's voice was equally as soft, comforting, it only lulled him more to sleep. His eyes closed almost all the way before he shook himself awake again. 

"No!" he exclaimed sitting up, "I can't go back to sleep! I don't want to die again! It hurt, I don't want to die!" he cried, he didn't want to die, he couldn't do it a second time, not so soon.

Kristin was taken aback, but held the boy tighter she could only imagine what he was going through. She, herself, had never died before. Yes there were always close calls, but but he had full on stopped breathing, and still came back. He hadn't gotten the luxury of staying dead. 

Two beautiful blue, black and white wings unfurled, cradling the boy. Protection. The air around them stilled, it felt almost as if the entire weight of the world was gone. Everything disappeared in the small radius of a bubble. 

"Go to sleep, nothing can reach you here." And he did, his eyes closing fully for the first time in five days. He felt so incredibly safe, as if nothing in the entire universe could reach him ever again, even his own mind. 

Phil watched a bit aways, a fond expression strung across his face. She had acquired her wings all on her own, through helping someone else. A blue jay, how wonderfully unexpected. 

"I know you said you didn't want to stay for long, but I hope this might convince you otherwise," Phil said, making his way over to the two. She looked up at him with a knowing look. Almost accusing. "What? It's not like I planned this," Phil laughed. Although the timing was rather perfect 

"Mmmhmm. Sure," she teased handing Tommy over. When Phil had him safely in one arm, he offered her his other. Kristin took it, grateful. The moment their fingers touched that same spark spread throughout their arms, traveling to their toes; only this time, something else followed right after. Across their arms was a simplified scene. On Kristin's arm was a rain could, some foliage, and a rainbow that bent from behind the cloud, twisting at her wrist and mirroring itself across Phil's arm whose picture was a reflected image of her own.

There was something unspokenly profound about it, something only they could eventually understand. It would take time for them to work out what had happened and what it all meant. But Phil had an idea, he always seemed to know what was going on, even when he didn't. It was somewhat of a super power he had at this point, or that's what Kristin thought at least. That or he was just incredibly intuitive. Thinking about it, it really could just be either. Though they wouldn't understand it all, they did know one thing. The picture, what it meant. 

It was the calm after the storm.


	34. Pages 100-102 Chapter 6

"You did it because you cared about us, that was your down fall, George, caring." Dream's voice was low, unnerving. George did a double take, he had never sounded like this before. 

"Dream? What are you talking about?" George was confused to say the least, what was he going on about? Dream only smirked behind his mask, George was so easy to fool. 

"Don't worry about it," he stopped suddenly, something popping into his head. "You know what! I almost forgot!" The topic of conversation was changed quickly, "I have a present for you!" Dream's voice was now hyper, back to the person George knew. 

"And, why did you get me a gift? It's not my birthday or close to any special occasion..." he trailed off, following behind dream, down the corridor. 

"Yeah, I know, it's just a little something. A thank you for being such a great friend. I was going to give it to you later but I think you'd appreciate it more now," he explained, hands waving, gesturing as he spoke. "Okay, okay, close your eyes!" Dream exclaimed as they approached the end of the corridor. He covered George's eyes with his own hands for good measure. "No peeking~" he sang, leading his friend into the room. 

George could only wonder what Dream had gotten him, he really did have just about everything, what was left for him to have? The moment he stepped into the room, he could smell something. George wasn't quite sure what it was. At first it was faint, somehow making the room feel warmer, smaller. It smelled so familiar, but he still couldn't figure out what it was. Dream led him further into the room, closer to the source of the smell. It was stronger now, invading his nostrils up until he could definitely depict what the scent was. A wave of nausea passed through him. 

George could hear everything, the pounding of his heart, Dream's breathing behind him, the wooden door shutting and locking, and finally he could feel the changing texture of the floor when Dream stopped him right in front of his gift. 

He knew what his present was. 

-

Back at Niki's cottage everyone sat around the living room once again. Light beamed through the window. It provided a comforting warmth. Since the other day Tommy has finally been sleeping through the night, and when he didn't rest assured Wilbur was there to help him every time. The elder liked being enough for the boy it have him a sense of purpose, something he really hadn't had before. But here with his family and friends he was needed and he rather enjoyed helping in any way he could. 

Other than just sleeping through the night, Tommy had also figured out how to fly, along with Kristin who was still getting used to her wings. Tommy would never admit it but he was secretly happy she had gotten them as well. It meant he didn't have to go through this alone. Sure he had Phil, but as he had come to learn, Phil had an interesting way of doing things; example number one: Pushing children out of trees. Kristin was gentler, coaxing him through things until he was ready. Phil would give them a basis of what they needed to do and Kristin would interpret it into a way more comfortable and efficient for them to learn. Tommy didn't understand how they knew what was going on in the other's head, maybe it was an adult thing. Tommy would learn about it later. 

"And that brings us to the last thing, Wilbur, Tommy, Techno and I need to get back into the castle. And/or just as much information that any of you have about it." Everyone blanched slightly, no one wanted to go back to the castle, or talk about it in the first place. It only brought back bad memories of what had happened not even two weeks prior. 

"Phil, you can't be serious. We're fine here, life is good here, why do we need to chase after more?" Wilbur spoke up. He was right in a sense, why have more when you can be content with what you already have.


	35. Pages 103-105 Chapter 6

George knew exactly what his present was. The sweet scent wafted through the room, cake. The oven made the room slightly warmer than the corridor they were previously in. When Dream removed his hands George's face lit up. He had made him a half decent vanilla cake. It sat on the cluttered countertop upon a clay plate. THe changing texture on the floor he could clearly see now as a settling water and flour mixture. He could only wonder how Dream had managed to make such a mess, it was quite literally everywhere. Dream had a lot of cleaning to do. 

That is what George had wanted to happen. 

Instead he felt uneasy, he felt scared. He knew what the scent was. He knew what the texture on the floor was. He knew, but he didn't want to... When Dream removed his hands George's breath caught in his throat. He couldn't breathe. 

"Don't you love it?" No words came out of his mouth. He couldn't comprehend what was in front of him. "Was it worth it George?" No, no it wasn't worth it. None of this was worth it. Nothing he had done was worth it. Sapnap's body sat in a table chair, his hands tied behind his back. His head was limp, resting unnaturally against his shoulder. His eyes gazed off to the distance, like he was looking behind them. His blood pooled around their feet, it covered the floors giving the room an overall tint of red, mingling with the yellow lighting. It was shocking and just completely and utterly disgusting. 

George could only stare at the body, silent tears running down his porcelain cheeks. He felt so frail, so fragile, so _breakable._ He was a ceramic plate being dropped on concrete. Sure he could handle the scrapes and scratches, but when dropped on a hard surface; he shattered. 

"Was it worth it George?" Dream asked again, an annoying tone lacing through his voice. He was purposefully trying to get under his skin, weaseling his way through his blood stream. He couldn't understand why, everything he had done for them. He could only wonder what Sapnap was truly doing. Was he just like Dream? That wasn't even his main problem, other than his supposed best friend killing his other and claiming them a present. He just didn't understand what was real and what was fake. What else had Dream lied to him about? What else had Dream done before all of this? 

"It wasn't," he found his voice, to his disappointment it wavered; a clear tell to Dream. "None of this was worth it." He turned away from the gruesome body, towards Dream. "But I just have to know, what else?" Dream was confused, did he think this was some sort of gag gift? 

"I don't know what you mean." 

"What else did you lie to me about." It came out more as a statement than a question. He watched as a smirk strung itself across dreams lips. George could feel himself wavering. And then he got his answer. 

"Everything." 

\- 

"Wilbur, we know what we have to do. It's in the prophecy, and just think of what happened to Tommy and Tubbo, it happened to Kristin too! They take innocent people and murder them, we can't let that continue," Phil defended back. 

"But Phil, maybe taking over the entire kingdom isn't the way to go about this." Phil took a breath before replying. 

"I understand," he paused, "do you trust me, Wilbur?" he asked. Wilbur's brow furrowed. 

"What kind of question is that?" 

"Do you trust me. If you don't I hope I can gain that trust, and if this situation is something you truly cannot associate yourself with, then no one will force you to." Phil was giving him the option, the choice, the freedom to do as he pleased. Wilbur thought for a moment, did Phil really think he didn't trust him? He was merely stating that sometimes, you might want to just take a step back and let things work themselves out. 

"You know Phil, after the past couple months we've spent together I thought you'd have a bit more faith in me." He laughed. "Yes, the answer is yes, of course I trust you. I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise I just- sometimes people want more than they can handle. I didn't want that to happen to all of us." Phil smiled, a soft smile. One that was custom to him. Reassurance flooded through the room. 

"I know what you mean. But there is a difference in wanting power, and wanting to help. Sometimes they just wear the same disguises."

"So now that the plan is back on, I still have a free pass into the castle you know." Techno spoke up from the side of the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyoooooooo so i fricking died my dudes. 
> 
> not literally in any sense I just have had no motivation to write this week, hence not updating anything for like the past four days XD. I kinda feel like writing today so we'll see how that goes but just know my updates aren't going to be super consistent (just watch Ill say this now and suddenly tomorrow ill be back to updating every day just because my brain will suddenly want to do stuff again-) probably not but idk playing it by ear i suppose. This is definetly not by any means on hiatus or discontinued, I just wont have a schedule for updating things for a bit. But yeah I hope you guys stick around for when I finally get my brain glued on again, and I shall see you next time :) 


	36. Pages 106-108 Chapter 6

"So what, we can just walk up there and ask to be let in?" Tommy asked, pointing to the castle's entrance. 

"Guess so," Techno replied shortly. Dream had basically just told them to come and ask for them once they got here. They had the plan in place already, Techno would go on with Dream distracting him as the other three looked around. If things were to go south, Kristin and Eret were situated outside of the castle... just in case. 

"Alright then," Wilbur started, striding over to where the guards stood in front of the door. "Excuse me sir, we're here to see a man named Dream," his voice was smooth, inviting, and incredibly fake. Wilbur couldn't help his bit of showmen's side that came out every once in a while. When business was to be done, or if he just needed to be formal in any way, this persona of his would pop in. The guard glanced at him briefly.

"What does Dream want with you?" The man tried to sound intimidating, and it made Wilbur stifle a laugh. He still smiled on trying to act as if nothing had changed.

"Well, you see he wanted to see us about joining the guards here." _Shit, now they might think we're here to take their jobs._ Wilbur thought to himself. 

"Oh thank god! Please come in he should be up about the top floor at this time, Fundy can take you around too if you'd like." That was not the response he thought they would get, the guard seemed actually quite happy that new people were being added to their thin supply of guards. The second guard who was standing on the opposite side perked up. 

"Alright, follow me." He must be Fundy.

"So, why was that guy so happy about us coming to ask about the job?" Wilbur asked, he couldn't understand why someone else would be happy about having their job taken. 

"Oh, that's just Skeppy. He doesn't like being an entrance guard much," Fundy turned to point to the four, "and if you guys get the job, that means Skeppy goes up a rank. We have a seniority rule here," he finished. Wilbur glanced to the man for a second. 

"He gets promoted?" Light conversation never hurt anyone. 

"Yeah basically, Skeppy's been trying for years now. There's only two ways you get promoted here, you're either good enough to go up a rank, or a newbie comes along." 

"And you said he's been trying for years now?"

Fundy sighed slightly, "No one has even thought about joining the guard in the past ten years. I'm surprised you guys showed up here." He pushed open a heavy wooden door. 

"Why's that?" 

"Because accepting this job is basically a death wish." His words made Wilbur stop momentarily. A death wish? 

"You speak of this job so poorly, why haven't you resigned yet?" Fundy laughed slightly, still leading the visitors through the corridors. 

"Well, Dream has a way with words I suppose," he sighed. "If you don't mind me bringing personal matters into this, I'd say it's because he's my fiance," the smile that was previously on his face faltered. "But part of me knows there's someone else, and I'm just waiting, accumulating enough proof to call of the wedding without being guilt tripped." Fundy's eyes glossed over, far away in thought. 

He had known for a while now that his fiance was cheating on him, a liar. But he was also a manipulator, he would always get his way sooner or later. Fundy didn't want to be on the receiving end of it anymore. 

"Anyways, why don't you come with me to find Dream. I thought he would be here but I have a couple more guesses to where he might be," Fundy spoke to Techno. "You three can stay here and wait until we find him. You can do anything as long as you stay in the room and just don't touch the black box in the back," he gave the instructions to the three. 

Techno nodded shortly before following Fundy out of the room. Though the hand that shifted to the sheathed sword on his belt didn't go unnoticed by the other three. 

Once the two were gone Phil, Wilbur and Tommy started taking in their surroundings. The room they were in looked like a study. Bookshelves lined the walls, a lounge sat in the middle of the room. Red, soft fabric and bronze metal made up the seat. A dark oak table sat in front of it. A blue bound book resting atop the wood. Phil glanced towards the back of the room, where a little black box sat on a desk before turning back to his brothers. 

"Alright, who wants to go exploring?" Phil smiled, clasping his hands together. 


	37. Pages 110-112 Chapter 6

Tommy grinned, the malicious intent swirling behind his irises. Fundy said to not touch the box, right? Yeah, he was definitely going to touch that first. The boy ran to the back of the room, scooping the small, black box from the shelf and shoving it under his arm. 

"Where to big P?" Tommy asked, saluting jokingly.

Phil deadpanned slightly, "Of course you go for the box right away." Tommy's smirk only grew, if that was even possible. Phil could practically imagine the horns and tail sprouting from his head and back side, watching as the tail flicked back and forth mischievously. 

"Do you think you two can handle yourselves if we split up and look for the astronomy room? Or should we stick together?" Phil asked not quite liking the idea of Tommy running around alone in the castle. 

"Phil, we are big men, of course we can handle ourselves," Tommy said, confidence spilling out of him like a boiled over pot. Wilbur could see the not quite irritated, more like completely done, expression Phil had been wearing and stepped forward. His hand found itself on Tommy's shoulder, his own nonverbal way of saying "Shut up." 

"Why don't I go with Tommy and you can head off on your own, this way the gremlin won't get lost but we can cover more area," Wilbur suggested, trying to find a common ground. The child only pouted, were the other two simply ignoring him?

"I don't need a babysitter Wilby, I'm a man, not a child!" His mouth spat words, syllables blurring together, the agitated tone spilling from his teeth. 

"Did you just fucking call me _Wilby?_ " The brunet wore a teasing smirk, head tilted to the side, watching the younger go through multiple shades of reds and pinks. 

"N-no I didn't!" Tommy tried defending, his fists clenching with a stomp of his foot, like a toddler throwing a tantrum. He could see the mischievous glint dance across Wilbur's eyes when his hands came up to cup his cheeks. 

"Aw, wittle Tommy called me Wilby," he spoke in a baby voice, pinching Tommy's cheeks slightly. Wilbur couldn't help but mentally compare the child to an angry chihuahua as he swatted at Wilbur's hands. 

"And you want me to let you two sneak around the castle together?" Phil stated, finally getting Wilbur to let go of the younger.

Wilbur looked between the two before responding hesitantly, "Yes...?" His answer was more of a question, only making Phil regret his choice even further. Even though he didn't want to let the two alone-wandering- it was the best option for finding the room as fast and as safe as possible. 

"Just- Stay out of trouble you two, okay?" he sighed defeatedly waiting for confirmation. Wilbur took a more confident stance, one like he had earlier with the entrance guards. 

"Of course, Phil." 

"I can't believe I'm letting you do this," he pinched the bridge of his nose, waving them off, "go ahead, just meet me back here in an hour." With that Phil left the room, turing right down the corridor at a fast pace. Wilbur grinned grabbing Tommy's arm.

"C'mon child, just behave for me will you? I don't think you'd like us getting caught," Wilbur said dragging Tommy behind him. 

"Please Wilbur, I am an utter delight to have around. I'm going to beon my _best_ behavior!" Tommy practically shouted, earning an over-the-shoulder glare from the elder. 

"Starting now," he whispered, letting Wilbur pull him along the empty corridors.


	38. Pages 113-115 Chapter 6

"What do you mean by "everything?" George asked, backing up slowly, trying to think a way out of here. Dream only stepped forward, predator and prey.

"Just what it sounds like. Every single assassination attempt, guess who hired them... _m_ _e,"_ he spat, venom dripping from his mouth. "The rebellion groups? Guess who started them," he indicated and paused. "And finally! I almost had you _right where I wanted you_ , but that pink haired _bastard_! had to come in and save you!" he shouted causing George to flinch. "I was _this_ close!" A small gap between his thumb and pointer finger. "But yet, here you are, _breathing,"_ he seethed. 

"No, no you couldn't have. I trusted you!" George was conflicted. He thought he had known Dream so well, his best friend. He thought he was looking out for him, he thought he knew him. 

"Trust is a fickle thing George, attachments make people weak. Attachments are your greatest downfall. If you hadn't based your actions on others you wouldn't be in this situation. Sapnap wouldn't be dead, and maybe, just maybe, you wouldn't be about to die either." Dream grabbed the netherite axe that had been leaning on the middle island, twirling it through his fingers while George's back became flush against the wall. As the tip of the blade rested itself just above the king's adams apple, the door opened. 

"Are we... interrupting something?" A somewhat familiar monotone sounding voice flooded their ears. Dream's head whipped over his shoulder to be met with the sight of a terrified Fundy and a slightly confused Technoblade.

No, he couldn't let them ruin his chance again. So with a quick swing of the axe, the king was no more. Dream always had told George he would lose his head if it wasn't attached to the rest of his body. 

How ironic that was now. 

He turned his attention back to the two in the doorway. Both were prepared in fighting stances, yet one of them shook like a leaf. 

"Now, now gentlemen, we can talk this out in a civilized manner," Dream started, creeping closer to them. 

"Civilized?! You just killed him!" Fundy sputtered in disbelief.

Dream shrugged nonchalantly, "Here's a _heads_ up, just because he's dead doesn't mean we can't talk it over." 

"Well first off I'm pretty sure that's exactly what that means, and second of all, did you just?...." Fundy trailed off, "Surely you didn't..." 

"What Fundy? Do you have lice? It's not that _head_ scratching of a concept to comprehend." 

"Yeah, he definitely did," Techno confirmed. For what he just did it was quite sick, but Techno couldn't help but condemn him a little bit, they were good jokes after all. 

"You know we can't let you get away with this, right?" Fundy started, gaining a bit of confidence. 

"Don't get too confident there Fundy, maybe you should quit while you're still a- _head,"_ Dream taunted, the jokes caused Fundy's stomach to churn as he looked at the lost, oozing, head on the floor. Now that Fundy was aware of that he noticed just how disgusting the room truly was, blood seemed to cover every inch of the floor. Whose blood it was was another question. 

"God dammit! You killed my fucking servant!" A new voice spouted off. Schlatt had appeared out of thin air, he certainly had a flair for dramatics. 

"And who are you?" Fundy questioned, gripping his sword tighter. How did this guy even get here? Techno on the other hand stood rigid, waiting for the fight to begin. 

"Don't you worry about that Fundy, we'll all talk later. However, I have some business to attend to first." Schlatt grabbed the sleeve of Dreams shirt, their bodies dissolving into nothing.

Techno drew his sword back first, quickly moving from his stance to that of something more mobile. His cape fell over his shoulder as he strided down the hallway, Fundy following in suit. His eyes glowered down the corridor, and his boots echoed off of the marble walls, giving him an air of importance. 

"Get the rest of the guards, All the non-soldier staff should leave immediately. make sure no one comes in or out of this castle after that. I have some friends waiting outside, they will bring help, go now," Techno shot out the orders quickly. Fundy could only nod and run off to spread the word. Techno was no longer preparing for a fight. 

He was preparing for a war. 


	39. Pages 116-119 Chapter 7

Two figures moved silently through the castle's corridors out of the fifty rooms they had only found and thoroughly searched seven. It was a long and exhausting process. What if the castle didn't even have an astronomy room? Well, they were going to find out one way or another. 

"Wilbur," Tommy whispered, tapping his shoulder. True to his word, the normally loud child had been uncharacteristically quiet during their search. Wilbur couldn't help but feel slightly proud of the boy. "Look," he pointed to an oak door embossed and decorated in gold decals. "I have a good feeling about this one, Wilbur." Tommy's eyebrows furrowed in determination. A knowing feeling had pooled in his stomach, he just _knew_ this was the right room. Call it, his 'Tommy Tingle.' 

Wilbur watched the light glint in his eyes, telling him Tommy knew what he was doing. He let his brother pull him over to the door, hesitating only momentarily before pushing the door open. They couldn't have found a more accurate room. It was completely circular, with a glass dome in the middle of the ceiling. It allowed sunlight to pour into the room, illuminating the sides of the bookshelves that covered the walls. Four multi-weighted lines extended from the edges of the room right into the parallel circles that sat in the center of the room. All objects in the room were covered in a thin layer of dust. Despite it being left to collect dust, it was quite beautiful. 

"We need to get Phil in here." Wilburs voice snapped Tommy out of his train of thought. The brunet had been inspecting the room with child-like awe. 

"What? I can't know about this?" The two boys whipped their heads towards the door. Techno stood there, leaning against the door frame. Wilbur ran over whacking his brother upside the head. He just about had a heart attack, after all, no one was supposed to catch them. 

"Techno! Don't do that! You absolute prick! I thought we were good as dead!" he scolded harshly, only earning a slight chuckle from the other before his expression hardened. 

"Listen we need to hurry up here, Dream killed George and then disappeared with someone else," Techno explained quickly, his voice dropping, flooding in a serious tone. As soon as he finished another voice could be heard reaching the rest of them.

"Techno, Jesus mate. Why do you walk so fast?" Phil rushed into the room. 

"Oh good! the gangs all here!" Tommy jeered. Wilbur elbowed his brother turning his attention to Techno and Phil. 

"Come on, we have to get this done quickly. I have a feeling that Dream and his friend will be back soon, most likely with more of their friends." Techno placed a hand on Phil's shoulder, who in turn straightened himself and headed to the center of the room. His satchel was emptied onto the center circle, scrolls rolling off in different directions.

"Well, we got here just in time it seems," he started, looking through the glass dome in the ceiling. The sun was almost at the peak in the sky, parallel with the circles in the middle of the room. "I'd say we have just about two minutes until it hits noon." He grabbed the fourth scroll from the marbled floor, handing it to Tommy. "You need to read the activation words again Toms," he said gently. 

Tommy accepted the scroll with shaking hands, the last time he did this searing pain had blossomed in his back. But he knew what he needed to do, so, he took a deep breath, and read the words aloud. 

"Ipsum, revelare."

A draft wafted into the room, barely noticeable. It was silent for a moment until their attention was drawn to the general area near Wilbur and Techno. Particles in the air seemed to be getting closer and closer together, forming and morphing, combining. Phil and Tommy watched as two sets of wings solidifying from the air, resting themselves gently on Wilbur's and Techno's backs. 

Wilbur's excitement was written on his face, clear as day. His eyes sparkled with pure adoration as his wings fastened themselves to his shoulder blades. Phil watched on in interest, he had never seen people get their wings this way before. As they appeared, he could see that his brother's wings were different from his and Tommy's. Techno's were a crimson red with pale baby blue speckles. Wilbur's on the other hand were a beautiful golden-yellow color that faded out into grey in a gradient. Techno was the opposite of the two, skeptical about what was going on behind him. It was an odd sensation like someone was placing their hands on your back and pushing slightly. 

Tommy on the other hand was _fuming._ Wilbur could practically see the smoke spouting from his ears as his brother glared at them. 

He quirked an eyebrow slightly, "What's the matter Tommy?" he asked. Contrary to popular belief, he was genuinely concerned as to why the child was so angry.

"You two! You get your wings just like that? They appear from thin air? Mine fucking sprouted from my back!" Wilbur couldn't help but laugh at his younger brother. As memories flooded into his head. 

"Tommy, everyone gets their wings like that. We just had ours before," he tried explaining before he came to a sudden realization. "Wait Phil, if no one else gets their wings like Tommy did, does that mean?..." he trailed off letting the elder put two and two together. Tommy was grasping at straws, what did Wilbur mean? Although he couldn't figure out the context clues, he knew it was something they would tease him about when he saw the smirk dancing on Phil's lips. 

"What!? What! you can't leave me out of this!" he shouted, feathers ruffling up behind him like a cat. 

"Tommy, if no one else grows their wings today, that means you are the youngest person in the kingdom." Phil couldn't help the laugh that left his throat at the end of his sentence, he didn't mean to offend the gremlin, but he'll get over it. All Tommy did was glare at his siblings, muttering strings of curses under his breath as they left to start phase two of their plans.

Throughout the nation of Wisthaven appendages were meshed together, reunited with their owners, and memories were returned, a time they had forgotten. 


End file.
